WATERVILLE — The Chelan woman accused of distributing nude photos of a minor at Eastmont Junior High was sentenced to six months in jail which will mostly be served as a work release and a minimum 10 days served in jail.
East Wenatchee detectives say Amanda Sue Austin, 48, illegally entered the junior high in March 2021 with a juvenile relative and distributed sexually explicit photographs of a former friend of the juvenile relative.
Austin pleaded guilty July 31 in Douglas County Superior Court to felony harassment, disclosing intimate images and first-degree criminal trespass as part of a plea agreement.
Per the plea agreement, prosecutors and defense recommended a six-month sentence that could be served as a work release along with a 5-year no contact order with the victim.
Judge Brian Huber agreed with the recommendation but ordered Austin to serve 10 days in jail in part because of his concern of the impact on the victim and that this sentence will “get the message across.”
Work release is a type of sentence that allows a person to continue their employment or work by day while still being incarcerated.
The victim’s guardian, Jocelyn Dunn, said in court Tuesday prior to sentencing that for this case to be taken “lightly is just a slap in the face.” Dunn said that her daughter has faced harassment online due to the incident along with “emotional trauma.”
“You’re hurting my daughter tremendously and a light sentence would be horrific,” Dunn said.
Austin was originally charged with more serious crimes including second-degree dealing in depictions of minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, second-degree burglary and disclosing intimate images.
Austin’s attorney, Brandon Redal, said on behalf of Austin that this was “the worst decision of her life.”
After hearing conflicting descriptions of the images, Huber postponed sentencing on Aug. 14 to see the material that was distributed in order to make a better decision.
He agreed that the amended charges fit the nature of the case better, calling it a “harassment case” and not a “child pornography case.”
The juvenile relative pleaded guilty in November 2022 to disclosure of intimate images and was sentenced to five days in detention along with 96 hours of community service and entered into a yearlong no-contact order with the victim, according to court documents.
As part of the juvenile’s plea deal, prosecutors dismissed two other charges and agreed not to pursue a second-degree burglary charge.
