Former teacher facing felony child seduction charge (01/14/06)

A former East Jay Middle School teacher was arrested Friday by Indiana State Police for allegedly having inappropriate contact with a 16-year-old female.

Greg W. Hemmelgarn, 31, 455 East 300 South, Portland, was jailed at 1:15 p.m. at the Jay County Jail, where he was initially held under a $4,500 bond. He posted bond and was released within an hour, jail officials said.

Hemmelgarn, who submitted his resignation as a teacher on Jan. 3, allegedly sent explicit photos of himself to the victim via cellphone and is alleged to have touched the victim in an inappropriate manner. The incidents are alleged to have occurred in the summer of 2005.

He has been charged in Jay Superior Court with one count of child seduction and two counts of disseminating matter harmful to a minor. All are class D felonies.

Superintendent Barbara Downing said Friday she had accepted Hemmelgarn’s resignation. It will be formally accepted by the Jay School Board on Jan. 23. An executive session of the board to review the matter was held earlier this month.

“The situation was reported to us, and it was immediately investigated,” Downing said. “We as a school corporation take a tough stance on protecting our students.”

“It’s an unfortunate situation,” said school board president Doug Inman.

Indiana State Police Det. Rob Ricks of the Redkey Post conducted a three-week investigation after being contacted by school officials on Dec. 22. That investigation was reviewed by the Jay County Prosecutor’s office, and an arrest warrant was issued Friday.

Hemmelgarn’s attorney was then contacted and he turned himself in to Ricks at the jail.[[In-content Ad]]