St. Charles teacher arrested for sexually abusing teenager

ST. CHARLES, Missouri – A St. Charles teacher has been accused of sexually abusing a minor over the course of several years.

John Warnecke is accused of three counts of sexual assault. He is a sixth-grade math and science teacher at Jefferson Intermediate School and was a baseball and softball coach.

In court documents, the St. Charles County District Attorney’s Office said that, according to the victim’s statement, Warnecke first spoke to the minor via social media in 2020 when she was 15 years old.

In the documents, the victim said that during her first online interactions with Warnecke, who was 49 at the time, she immediately told him she was 15. Despite this, communication continued and they eventually met in person.

The victim also said that Warnecke had regular sexual contact with her until the summer of 2023.

According to a probable cause statement, the victim called Warnecke during a recorded police interview and Warnecke admitted over the phone to engaging in sexual acts of a sexual nature.

Warnecke later admitted in a police interview that sexual interactions occurred when the victim was under 17 years old, police said.

He was arrested Tuesday and held in the St. Charles County Jail on $75,000 bail.

The St. Charles School District sent a statement to families saying police had informed them that a teacher at Jefferson School had been arrested and charged with sexual abuse of a minor. They added that “the safety of our students and staff is our top priority. The State of Missouri and our district require everyone who works in the school district to complete the Family Cares Safety Registry and pass a background and fingerprint check through the Missouri State Highway Patrol.”