NIXA, Mo. — A former Nixa High School teacher accused of inappropriate conduct with a student has pleaded guilty to reduced charges and has been sentenced to supervised probation.

According to online court documents, Lena Irene Stewart was in court on Dec. 31, 2024 and pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree sexual abuse, which is a misdemeanor. A Christian County judge sentenced Stewart to two years of supervised probation.

Stewart’s original charges, filed in 2023, included second-degree statutory rape, three counts of sexual contact with a student, two counts of second-degree statutory sodomy and one count of first-degree sexual misconduct.

The full article is available at ozarksfirst.com.

(Story by Jessica Hammer, ozarksfirst.com)