Blaze News Investigates: Adult high school student in Ohio attended class and followed events even after being charged with raping 9-year-old

Residents of Hudson, Ohio, about a half hour southeast of Cleveland, are demanding answers after a local high school student was allowed to attend school and compete in athletics for months despite being accused of raping a 9-year-old child.

According to the indictment, which was seen by Blaze News before the trial was completed, last December, Jeremiah Earl Stoehr allegedly sexually assaulted a 9-year-old child – who is a boy, according to the pronouns used in the indictment – “for the purpose of “have attracted to engage in sexual activity. Stoehr is then said to have raped the boy. Stoehr is believed to have been an 18-year-old adult at the time of the alleged assault.

Stoehr apparently went to class wearing an ankle bracelet and attended athletics practices and meetings while students and parents remained in the dark about the allegations against him.

In February, Stoehr was arrested and subsequently indicted by a grand jury on five felony counts: first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, third-degree gross sexual assault and fifth-degree dissemination of material harmful to minors.

Despite the seriousness of these charges, Stoehr was given a $25,000 bond, of which he paid 10% to secure his release from custody. He was then ordered to wear a GPS tracking device, observe a curfew and have no contact with the “accusing witness” or his “family members,” according to the charging document seen by Blaze News before the trial concluded.

Still, neither Judge Alison Breaux nor the Hudson City School District prevented Stoehr from continuing to attend school and most extracurricular activities as usual, as long as he also had “maximum pretrial supervision.” In fact, according to documents seen by Blaze News before the trial concluded, the court granted an extension of the curfew to allow Stoehr to attend several events unrelated to education, including a track and field banquet, a prom and an after-school event. Prom event.

It is unclear whether he participated in prom-related activities. However, until a few weeks ago, Stoehr apparently went to class wearing an ankle bracelet and participated in athletics practices and meets while students and parents remained in the dark about the allegations against him.

On Monday, the district confirmed via email that a criminal investigation had been opened “against one of its high school students.” According to a follow-up email from Superintendent Dana, that student – reportedly Stoehr – had “voluntarily” decided on Thursday not to participate in all “Hudson High School-related activities” for the remainder of the school year, including classes and graduation, as Addis saw from Blaze News.

Addis added in the email that the district can provide “extremely limited information” to parents. He also noted that “the alleged incident did not occur on district property and did not involve any other Hudson City School District student.”

Blaze News spoke with several parents with children in the district and many reiterated that Stoehr was not convicted of these crimes and is therefore entitled to due process and the presumption of innocence. Still, they expressed relief that Stoehr had agreed to stay off campus for now and disappointment that the district had not become more open about the allegations until recently.

“Hudson Schools has not communicated well regarding the current situation in which an alleged child rapist attends the school, runs track, and lives the same student life as everyone else. I don’t begrudge him if he didn’t do it.” “But I think the school system could have communicated better about the issue,” said George Carson, whose son attends Hudson High School.

In a recent Substack article about the case, Jeff Charles, a self-described “political commentator and satirist” who also writes for RedState, also stated that “community members feel” that recent communications from the district “are too “poor”. too late.”

The school “seems more concerned about its reputation than the safety of its students,” one parent told Charles. “It’s about rankings and appearances and not about real proactive measures to protect students.”

On Thursday afternoon, the judge approved a motion to remove all materials related to the case from the Summit County Clerk of Court’s website and “seal the file pending the completion of trial in this matter,” according to a court document reviewed by Blaze News . Defense attorney Maxwell Hiltner made the request out of concern for the “privacy and safety of everyone involved.” Prosecutors did not object to removing the materials and sealing the case, the document said.

Brian LoPrinzi, chief of the criminal division of the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office, told Blaze News, “Per Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct, the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office cannot comment publicly on open cases or investigations.”

Hiltner, the attorney representing Stoehr, issued the following statement to Jeff Charles: “Jeremiah has pleaded not guilty to all charges, he maintains his innocence, and in this country he is presumed innocent. Therefore, both he and his family request privacy at this time.”

Hiltner told Blaze News, “My client insists he did none of these things or committed any of these crimes.”

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