School counselor accused of committing sex crimes in her office with student

By Kimberly King

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    MARION, North Carolina (WLOS) — Newly released warrants reveal disturbing allegations against a McDowell County High School guidance counselor charged with sex crimes involving a minor.

Warrants show 29-year-old Jessica Patrick Finley resigned from her position in February 2024 after the parents of a 14-year-old showed school officials texts between their daughter and Finley.

SBI agents report in search warrants that Finley and the student engaged in a series of sexual conversations through cell phone texts. The warrants state, “Finley and (Minor Child 1) discussed details of their sexual encounters, as well as acts they wanted to perform on each other in the future.”

The warrants state, “Finley made statements to (Minor Child 1) regarding Finley leaving her husband and children to be with (Minor Child 1).”

According to those warrants, the student told investigators Finley performed sexual acts on her on multiple occasions in Finley’s guidance counselor office at McDowell High School.

“Adult perpetrators are very good at grooming,” said Dr. Holli Sink, chief program officer for South Mountain Children and Family Services, an advocacy nonprofit based in Morganton. “It’s a slippery slope where it ends up with the child feeling very special, in a way tricking them in a very unhealthy way.”

The warrants state the teen thought she was in a dating relationship with Finley, who began her career with McDowell County schools as a part-time receptionist and pre-K instructional assistant in 2017.

Finley was promoted to a full-time position at McDowell High in student services as the Project Rise coordinator in 2018. In March 2021, she was promoted to guidance counselor with a salary of $42,890. She served as the school’s head volleyball coach for eight seasons.

“I did know she was close with students, like weirdly close with students,” McDowell High graduate Stormey Greene said. “She would be someone I always went to whenever things were going wrong at home.”

Greene came to trust Finley so much she moved in with her and her family when Greene’s parents lost custody of her because of drug charges. Greene said the two got along for a time, but Finley became combative and hurtful with angry outbursts.

But Greene, who is now 18, said Finley never made sexual overtures to her. Greene still has several photos she took with Finley, whom she once considered a friend. Greene said she’s still in shock over the criminal statutory sex charges filed against the former educator.

“I’m honestly disgusted. It’s just weird how she (said) she could leave her family for a minor,” Greene said.

Greene hopes any other student victims will come forward and that Finley will held accountable if the charges against her are proven.

“I just want them to know that people are here for them and they don’t have to go through this alone,” Greene said.

The investigation is ongoing and authorities said more charges against Finley could be coming.

Sink said she’s watched child sex abuse cases work their way through the judicial system and sees many of them end in plea deals with no trials and little to no jail time for the perpetrators.

“Unfortunately, a lot of our cases do not get to that phase in the legal process,” Sink said. “Oftentimes, they’re settled even before there’s a trial, and the penalty tends to be less in those.”

Sink thinks cases with strong evidence should go before a jury and prison sentences in cases of child sex abuse should send a message about the seriousness of crimes.

“I think with greater penalties we would hope to see more prevention of this happening so often,” Sink said. “We continue to see these types of cases across the board. This is a common occurrence of this happening. Higher penalties would result in adults knowing that these cases are taken seriously and that there are going to be serious consequences for them.”

Finley remains in jail on $600,000 bond.

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