Former East Noble Middle School teacher charged with child seduction, court documents list 8 victims

KENDALLVILLE, Ind. (WPTA) – A former East Noble Middle School teacher was charged with felony offenses Thursday after he was accused of inappropriately touching eight students.

Detective Douglas Davis of the Kendallville Police Department interviewed more than 20 students at East Noble Middle School as part of his investigation into 37-year-old LaShone Harris, who was a sixth-grade math teacher at the time of the alleged abuse.

Harris is accused of inappropriately touching eight boys by rubbing their backs and slapping them on the bottom.

One victim described the touching as “strange.”

“It's like he likes us… He enjoys doing it,” the boy told investigators.

Another student stated that he felt uncomfortable asking Harris to stop in front of the class and that he had a hard time breaking away because Harris allegedly put his arm around the victims.

Davis said several groomer behaviors were noted during the investigation, including:

• Harris marked his favorites by hanging framed pictures of them on his classroom bookshelf and then taking them down when the student upset him;
• Connect with students outside of school via Snapchat;
• Ask students if they would like to do something outside of school.
• Told at least one student several times that he loved him.

Harris is charged with eight counts of child seduction. The charges carry a possible prison sentence of 128 years.

The defendant appeared in court for the first time on Thursday. His next hearing is scheduled for November.