A former Washington, D.C., teacher has been arrested in connection with a child sexual abuse offense that occurred over a five year period.
“On Friday, January 1, 2021, pursuant to a DC Superior Court arrest warrant, 45 year-old Joan Meyer, of Warrensville, Heights, OH, was arrested and charged with First Degree Child Sexual Abuse,” the Metropolitan Police Department said in a news release.
She was identified as a former teacher at Two Rivers Public Charter School, and the victim first notified authorities in June 2019 that the two had a sexual relationship when he was a 14-year-old student, according to Patch.com.
However, Meyer told detectives their relationship began after the student turned 18.
“She denies that she broke the law,” said her attorney, Jay Mykytiuk. “She maintains her innocence and we plan to mount a vigorous defense against the charges.”
Allegations the former teacher had a relationship with a student first surfaced in 2010 at Two Rivers Public Charter School and in 2012 at another school the student attended.
However, the two denied their relationship and authorities closed both investigations and no charges were filed.
Police determined their relationship was the focus of two Youth Division investigations, one in 2010 and another in 2012, according to WJLA.
The 2010 case was later closed and labeled “unfounded.”
In 2019, detectives spoke with the now grown victim, Z.J., who gave them a year by year account of the relationship, the outlet said.
“The victim described their relationship in detail, including information about the two having sex in Meyer’s van and in her house. Her husband caught Z.J. inside the home twice. Their encountered [sic] also involved Meyer giving Z.J. alcohol and marijuana,” the article said.
At the time of Meyer’s arrest, she was working as a library media specialist in the Shaker Heights City School District of Ohio.
“While we cannot discuss the specifics of the case, we know it involves an improper relationship with a teenage student beginning in 2009,” the district superintendent said in a letter to parents.
“No part of these allegations involve the 16 months that Ms. Meyer has worked in the Shaker Heights Schools,” the letter noted.
“During the hiring process, Ms. Meyer’s references were contacted and her employment history was reviewed. In addition, Ms. Meyer passed a Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) Record Check,” it concluded.
The former teacher is on paid administrative leave and she is not allowed to contact anyone from the school district.
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