Police arrest Monroe High School teacher for sexual misconduct

Detectives arrested a Monroe High School teacher in 2017 for allegedly having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student.

The victim came forward in May and disclosed her relationship with the 53-year-old man from Seattle. Investigators confirmed her statement, giving the Monroe Police Department (MPD) sufficient reason to arrest the man on two counts of sexual abuse of a minor. (A statement from the MPD regarding the arrest can be found here as a PDF.)

Investigators suspect that the man has committed sexual assaults against other victims in recent years. At the end of February, the MPD reported that a teacher was being investigated for misconduct toward a student.

Previous reporting: Monroe teacher investigated for alleged misconduct

MPD confirmed to KIRO Newsradio Tuesday afternoon that the teacher currently under investigation is the same teacher who was arrested on Tuesday. MyNorthwest and KIRO Newsradio are not releasing the suspect’s name at this time because he has not been formally charged.

Monroe Police Chief Jeff Jolley praised the school district’s commitment and thanked the victim for revealing what she had been through.

“The district’s cooperation was critical in our thorough investigation of this case,” Jolley said. “We commend the victim for her courage in coming forward.”

Shawn Woodward, superintendent of the Monroe School District, said in a statement in February that the district was aware of the alleged misconduct.

“We want to assure you that we take these matters very seriously,” Woodward said.

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Woodward added that the teacher was on paid leave at the time and was prohibited from having any contact with students while officials investigated.

“We understand that this news may be upsetting to some of our students,” Woodward said.

The suspect was booked into the Snohomish County Jail on two counts of sexual abuse of a minor. The Snohomish County District Attorney’s Office is handling the case.

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Anyone with information about the case or other potential victims is asked to call Monroe Police at 360-794-6300.

Contributors: Steve Coogan

Bill Kaczaraba is Content Editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X Here and send him an email here.