A former McDowell County High School volleyball coach and counselor will spend decades behind bars after pleading guilty to child sex crimes. Jessica Patrick Finley entered the plea Thursday in McDowell County Superior Court and was sentenced to 28 years and four months to 40 years and six months in prison.
Authorities say the case involved a 14-year-old student and began after school officials received inappropriate text messages. Investigators later alleged some encounters happened inside Finley’s school office. She resigned from McDowell County Schools in February of 2024. The McDowell County Sheriff’s Office and the SBI handled the investigation.
