Sioto County teacher pleads guilty to sexual assault

October 26 — Staff report

PORTSMOUTH — A former teacher in the Bloom-Vernon Local School District pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexually abusing an underage student, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced.

Caroline Johnson, 36, who worked with children with disabilities and coached track, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault, each punishable by one to five years in prison. She will have to register as a Tier III sex offender for the rest of her life.

Johnson will be sentenced on November 25.

On December 1, 2023, a Scioto County grand jury indicted Johnson on three counts of third-degree sexual assault for allegedly engaging in sex with a minor.

The charges came after an investigation by Yost’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation revealed she engaged in sexual activity with a minor while working at Bloom-Vernon Local Schools.

A warrant was issued for her arrest and she was arrested on December 5, 2023 and booked into the Shioto County Jail.