Nashville, TN – Ex-Tennessee Titans cheerleader Elizabeth Leigh Garner has been charged with an alleged sexual assault on a 12-year-old boy.
At a house party at a friend’s home in nearby Murfreesboro in February, Garner, 42, allegedly followed the boy into the bathroom and offered to perform a sex act on him. The boy reportedly broke free of her clutches and told his mom (who apparently was hosting the party) that he had been molested; she in turn contacted police. During this encounter , Garner allegedly ask the youngster if he had ever been with a woman.
Garner, who is married, was indicted by a grand jury on one count each of aggravated sexual battery and solicitation of a minor.
Garner apparently told police that she was drunk, and it was a case of mistaken identity in that she thought she was seducing an adult man who was also partying at the home.
According to local media, Garner also claimed she was innocent of the charges.
Commenting on the Leigh Garner allegations, a Murfreesboro Police Department official said, “That’s just absolutely no excuse for sexual assaulting a child. If you can’t tell the difference between a 12-year-old and an adult then there are problems.”
Garner was booked and then released on a $30,000 bond and could face up to eight years behind bars if convicted on these charges.
Last year, a Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader was sentenced pursuant to a plea deal to five years of diversion for a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old high school student.
Leigh Garner made headlines when she qualified for the NFL Tennessee Titans cheerleading squad in 2008: “She was featured on blogs and newspapers as a 38-year-old who made a team made up of mostly 20-somethings.”
[LP Field image credit: Aspen Photo / Shutterstock.com ]
This is Leigh Garner when she was an active Tennessee Titans cheerleader:
Watch local news coverage of the Leigh Garner sexual assault allegations:
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Added: Here is Next Media Animation’s take on the case:
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