Accused psychologist quits her job

From the Times Union Newspaper

A 32-year-old Rensselaer County psychologist accused of having sex with a 14-year-old male student has quit her job, county officials announced Friday.

Jennifer A. Hastings, who has been on paid leave since her Oct. 12 arrest, resigned her $52,426-a-year post effective Oct. 19, said county spokesman Chris Meyer.

Hastings remains free on $20,000 bail on charges of felony second-degree rape for allegedly having sex with the boy, a high school freshman whom she was providing with court-ordered counseling.

She is due in Sand Lake Town Court on Nov. 19. Her case is expected to go before a county grand jury, but Meyer declined comment on whether that is being pursued.

Hastings' lawyer, Steve Coffey, could not be reached for comment late Friday.

The unidentified victim has told State Police that Hastings allegedly had sex with him in an Albany County motel and later at the Sheer Road home in Sand Lake that the counselor shared with her husband, who was out of town during the alleged incident.

A state trooper stopped Hastings after she picked up the boy at school and drove off the campus. She claimed she was the boy's older sister, but investigators later uncovered the alleged sexual relationship when the boy gave a statement to police.