Taylor High School teacher accused of having sex with student

KOKOMO, Ind. – A coach who has worked at Taylor Community School Corporation in Kokomo for more than 20 years is accused of having sex with one of his players. This comes three months after a former Taylor High School teacher was charged with a child sex crime.

A statement from District Manager Steve Dishon said:

“After hearing the initial allegations, the district immediately placed the individual on leave from his groundskeeping and coaching duties while the investigation was ongoing. As the situation developed and facts emerged, the Taylor Community School Corporation terminated the accused person's employment and terminated him from any employment at any Taylor property or event attended by Taylor students.

We are cooperating fully with the police investigation as the safety of our students is always our priority. These allegations are deeply disturbing and we encourage parents to take the time to talk to their children about how to recognize grooming behaviors and report anything that makes them uncomfortable to a trusted adult.”

Kristina Korobov is the lead attorney for the Zero Abuse Project.

“For most offenders, grooming looks like getting to know a child,” Korobov said. “Find out what they want and what their needs are for attention, affection or appreciation. It can start with someone becoming interested in something the child is also interested in.”

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Korobov said grooming often results in dropping breadcrumbs.

“Maybe the confidant tells an inappropriate joke and the child doesn’t immediately go to his parents and tell it,” Korobov said. “Well, the coach knows that's OK, or the teacher knows that's OK, so they just start pushing the kid's boundaries, and as long as it's not reported, as long as the kid isn't comfortable with it seems uncomfortable or resists It will be easier to take that next step, and that next… and that next step.

The family tells me that they have fully entrusted all of their children to the coach. He even spent time with all of them and sometimes took the children with him to their school activities. Korobov said that's one of the main goals of a predator: to gain the family's trust.

“At court hearings, often the child's mother or father or relatives speak and say, 'I know my child was a victim, but I also started therapy because I feel responsible for what happened to my child .'” “I was the one who gave this perpetrator access, I trusted him and I never experienced that,” Korobov said.

The girl's family said they found out about the alleged relationship after searching her phone, which Korobov recommends all parents do from time to time.

As for what else parents can do, she suggests setting boundaries with people and asking questions.