Ex-teacher charged with rape faces 2009 trial

JUNCTION, Piute County — A judge has set a three-day trial next year for a former high school teacher charged with rape.

During a conference call in 6th District Court on Friday, court records indicate a judge set a trial for Lawson Rashad Sweat beginning Feb. 10, 2009. A hearing will be held on Oct. 27 to discuss jury issues, including how many people in this tiny county will be able to serve on a jury.

Sweat, 29, is charged with two counts of rape and a single charge of forcible sodomy, all first-degree felonies. The former Piute High School coach is accused of sexually assaulting a then-16-year-old girl who was a student at the school in 2005. Sweat was a 27-year-old teacher at the time, but has since resigned.