Gadsden woman convicted of rape involving 15 year old boy

Valerie Jan Stanton

A Calhoun county jury Tuesday afternoon found a 39-year-old Gadsden woman guilty of raping and sodomizing a 15-year-old boy last year. Valerie Jan Stanton was convicted of second-degree rape and second-degree sodomy in a unanimous vote by 12 jurors before Circuit Judge Debra Jones The victim, now 17, testified during the trial that his relationship with Stanton began after the two met through a mutual acquaintance. The teen told jurors that his life goal is to become a professional basketball player and Stanton told him she would help him. Prosecutors and witnesses testified that Stanton paid for the boy to play with a traveling basketball team based in Birmingham. Stanton took the teen to practices, paid team fees, bought equipment and attended most of his games. The victim said The two began their sexual relationship around March or April 2012, and he said they had sexual encounters in Anniston, Weaver and a hotel in Oxford a total of 15 times. The victim’s mother discovered the inappropriate relationship in August 2012 and called police. Stanton was taken to a local police department, where she admitted to having a sexual relationship with the victim and that she knew his age. The jury of 8 women and 4 men deliberated for 30 minutes before they returned with the guilty verdict. Jones told Stanton she would sentence her on Sept. 26. Stanton faces a minimum of two years in prison and maximum of 20 years for each charge.