WAVE 3 TV Louisville, KY | Sex abuse victim talks about ordeal

Sex abuse victim talks about ordeal

By Elizabeth Donatelli - bio | email
Posted By Mike Dever - email

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - A man whose profession was to take care of children pleaded guilty Tuesday to repeated sexual misconduct with a minor. WAVE 3's Elizabeth Donatelli has more from the victim.

John Watts, a youth minister, teacher, and high school coach in the small town of Hanover, Ind.  accepted a plea agreement in court Tuesday morning.

Now 20 years old, Courtney McHeinity came forward to share her story. "It started when I was in 8th grade, summer," she said. "It's been a long drawn out process. It's been through high school."

McHeinity was a straight A student and athlete with perfect attendance; but she had a dark secret.

"I was obviously a victim of a pedophile," McHeinity said. "It's been really, really hard."

She says her high school pole vault coach, John Watts, had improper sexual contact with her from the time she was 14 until she turned 18.

"Basically, I was just a child that was really happy with the affection I was getting from an older individual and didn't see anything wrong with it at the time," McHeinity said.

Her dad did see something wrong with it, and he went to the police when he found out.

"In my mind it was a relationship, but now that I'm 20, I realize that it was all wrong," McHeinity said.

Now, more than two years later, Watts has agreed to plead guilty to two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor. He will serve two years under home incarceration and four more years on supervised probation.

"He was a man, and should have known better," McHeinity said. "Seeing him today was just like looking at a wall. He's completely dead to me."

McHeinity says she's satisfied with the plea agreement because Watts is now required to register as a sex offender, but she warns parents to be careful when they let people into their children's lives.

"I came forward not only because it's the right thing to do, but also because I wanted to save other young children who might possibly be a victim," McHeinity said.

Formal sentencing for Watts is set for December 29th.