WAVE 3 TV Louisville, KY | Southern Indiana Teacher Charged With Sex Crimes

Southern Indiana Teacher Charged With Sex Crimes

By Connie Leonard

(HANOVER, Ind.) -- It's hard news to accept for one southern Indiana community as a high school teacher, track coach and youth minister is charged with 23 counts of sexual misconduct with a minor. Police say 27 year old John Watts turned himself into authorities Wednesday afternoon. WAVE 3 Investigator Connie Leonard has the story.

"John Watts is in his fourth year of teaching at Southwestern," said a shocked Superintendent of Southwestern Consolidated Schools Steve Telfer. 

For some in the small town of Hanover, the news was hard to believe as a man who's looked up to by many teens in the classroom, in sports and in church faces serious sexual allegations with a minor.  For others, it's no surprise at all. 

A female student of Watts' told WAVE 3 News, "That was my teacher and we all kind of figured that something would come up." 

Indiana State Police Sergeant Jerry Goodin says, "The bad thing about it is children do trust teachers they do trust youth ministers and every teacher out there in every profession there are people who go astray and do things they should not do."

They won't release details of the allegations, but, Indiana State Police say what 27 year old John Watts did do happened 23 times with a female student beginning when she was 14 in several locations around Scott County from 2002 to 2004. They say Watts was one of the girl's track coaches and her church youth minister. 
"So, it wasn't like he had to seek her out, they were in contact with each other because of the places they were at," Goodin added. 

Police say Watts served as a track coach at both Austin High School and at Southwestern High where he was still teaching gym class and health until he turned himself in at 3:00 Wednesday afternoon. 
Investigators say the girl decided to turn him in last month. The Superintendent says Watts appeared to be a quality role model.

"I'm very saddened because in our business of working with students and our school community because whenever this happens it's a shock to all of us," Telfer said.

Female students we talked to who had Mr. Watts for gym class told us, he was nice but, had a way of making them feel uncomfortable. 

"You wear short shorts that you figured were appropriate but, if they were tight, he'd be looking and staring," another student said. 

But Andrew Sexton who also says he was taught by Watts finds the charges too hard to believe. "He seemed like a nice guy to me, I actually didn't expect him to do anything of the sort, he's the last person I expected to do something like that," said Sexton.

The teens told WAVE 3 News that stories of Watts and students have circulated for some time. Indiana State Police say they don't know if there are any other victims, but hope if there are they will come forward.

Police say they handed over their investigation to prosecutors last month after the victim came forward this summer. Watts is being held on a $40,000 bond at the Scott County Jail.

Online Reporter:  Connie Leonard

Online Producer: Charles Gazaway