A former teacher from the Bloom-Vernon Local School District has been sentenced to one year in prison for engaging in a sexual relationship with a student. The announcement was made by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
Caroline Johnson, aged 36, will also be required to register as a Tier III sex offender for life following her release. "There’s one last lesson to be learned from this former teacher – students are not targets for sexual relationships," stated Yost. "She destroyed her career, family and reputation for the thrill of an affair, without bothering to think about the consequences."
Ohio law prohibits individuals in positions of authority from having sexual relations with students at their school, regardless of age or perceived consent. Johnson pleaded guilty in October to two counts of sexual battery after an investigation by Yost’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation revealed her involvement with a minor while employed at Bloom-Vernon Local Schools as a coach and intervention specialist.
The prosecution was handled by Yost’s Special Prosecution Section. This case marks the fourth instance in recent years where the attorney general's office has prosecuted inappropriate relationships between students and school employees.
In related cases, Mason Williams, formerly a school resource officer at National Trail High School in Preble County, was convicted on November 20 for two counts of sexual battery and tampering with evidence; he is scheduled for sentencing on December 16. Shawn Long, previously with East Liverpool Schools in Columbiana County, received a 90-day jail sentence in February for disseminating harmful material to juveniles after messaging a 17-year-old student with explicit photos. Steve Kent, another former school resource officer from Poland Local Schools in Mahoning County, recently lost his appeal against a one-year sentence for tampering with evidence linked to his relationship with a student and is currently serving time at Toledo Correctional Institution.