A 38-year-old Blackhawk Middle School teacher has been charged with sexual misconduct with a minor, the result of an investigation that alleges the teacher had sexual intercourse with a then-14-year-old former student.
Justin M. Edwards was charged Friday with the Class B felony, according to the probable-cause affidavit in the case. The affidavit, filed in Allen Superior Court, claims that at some point between July 7 and Nov. 29, Edwards did “perform or submit to sexual intercourse” with the student, who told an investigator from the Department of Child Services that Edwards was one of her eighth-grade teachers.
The affidavit also says that the student claimed to have a close relationship with Edwards, and that “she would often talk to Mr. Edwards like he was her other dad and they often communicated via text messages.”
The student also claims, according to the affidavit, that Edwards kissed her one day at the school, which escalated into intercourse in the wrestling mat room at Blackhawk. That took place during summer vacation, according to the affidavit.
Edwards denied the allegations when questioned by police, the affidavit said.
Fort Wayne Community Schools had sent home letters with students earlier this month – one from Blackhawk Principal Timothy Mathias and the other from acting Wayne Principal Larry Gerardot – which notified parents that teachers were suspended, pending the outcome of investigations.
The letter also encouraged parents to remind children how critical it is to report to an adult if they see or hear anything “that makes them uncomfortable or seems out of line.”
No charges have been filed as of yet as a result of the investigation at Wayne, the school where a former assistant principal, Kristopher J. Sennett, pleaded guilty after being charged in 2008 with two counts of child seduction. Sennett, who forfeited his teaching license, had a sexual relationship with a then-17-year-old student and is now a registered sex offender.
