Police say teacher from St. Charles abused young girl for years

ST. CHARLES – A sixth-grade teacher is accused of sexually abusing a young girl for years here and in St. Louis County.

John Warnecke, 52, of O’Fallon, Missouri, was charged with three counts of sexual assault.

Warnecke has taught math and science at Jefferson Intermediate School on Zumbehl Road in St. Charles for 18 years and also worked as an instructor for the St. Charles West High School baseball camp.

Warnecke and the victim, now 19, met for the first time in an online chat room in January 2020 before they began communicating on the social media site Snapchat.

Mickie Plummer-Shepheard, a spokeswoman for the St. Charles School District, said the district only learned of the allegations on Tuesday.

“While we do not know all the details and cannot discuss detailed information regarding an ongoing legal and personnel matter, we can tell you that we are fully communicating and cooperating with law enforcement as they continue their investigation,” district Superintendent Jason Sefrit said in a letter to parents.

Katie Rickerson, a spokeswoman for the St. Charles County District Attorney’s Office, said the victim was not a former student of Warnecke.

According to police, the two first met in person after meeting online. In her police interview, the victim said she and Warnecke began meeting every two weeks. She said he would pick her up at her family’s home in St. Peters and drive her to locations in Wentzville, O’Fallon, St. Peters, Maryland Heights and St. Louis County.

In a recorded phone conversation with the victim, Warnecke confirmed details of how they met, police said, adding that she was under 18 when they met and that he would pick her up from her family’s home.

Warnecke said in that phone call that “he wished his head was clear” and that he “should have hit you away from me” when they first met in person, police said.

In the phone call, he said he stopped talking and having contact with the victim after she turned 17. However, the victim told police that the abuse continued.

After his arrest by police, Warnecke said he could not say how many times this had happened and he felt he could not stop them.

Warnecke is being held in the St. Charles County Jail on $75,000 cash bail.

Police said the investigation was still ongoing.