EAST TROY, Wis. — A former East Troy Middle School band teacher, accused of sexually assaulting multiple students, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault of a child on Friday.
According to court documents, the incidents happened between August 2017 and July 2018, when prosecutors said John Rash, 46, used his position as a teacher to sexually assault his female students.
Before pleading down, Rash was facing nine counts of sexual assault of a child. Friday, Rash pled guilty to two counts of "Repeated Sexual Assault of Same Child", with the remaining charges to be dismissed.
He faces up to 40 years for each of the two counts, though prosecutors agreed to seek no more than 15 years as a part of the deal.
In court, TMJ4's Tahleel Mohieldin spoke with one victim's father, who wanted to remain anonymous. He told Mohieldin, that watching Rash being taken into custody was long overdue for the young victims and their families.
“It’s been 7 years, 7 long years, for all of these girls. It’s been—it’s been difficult," he said. "Every step along the way has taken a year or two years, but finally there’s some justice."
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Despite the incidents occurring between 2017 and 2018, East Troy police say accusations of inappropriate touching and remarks were not brought to their attention at the time. They say school staff determined the allegations didn’t meet the threshold for mandatory reporting under state law, according to the complaint.
Watch: Former East Troy band teacher pleads guilty in court to two counts of sexual assault of a child
It wasn’t until three years later that police got involved, after the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), which conducted its own investigation based on tips from concerned parents, sent its report to East Troy Police in 2021.
“I would just say that for all school districts, I hope that they learn from this, make changes, listen to the girls when they come in, don’t ignore them,” the father said.
“These girls and women, they deserve a voice. If a group of them come in, two years in a row with the same instances, you’ve got to do something about it," he added. "You can’t hide it. You just got to do the right thing basically, and they did not.”
Rash resigned from East Troy Middle School in March 2022. According to the DPI report, he agreed to surrender his teaching license after it threatened to revoke it.
The East Troy Community School District Board of Education released the following statement Friday evening:
“The ETCSD Board of Education is aware of a plea deal that has been reached in the criminal case of John Rash, a former teacher at East Troy Middle School. This has been an ongoing legal issue for several years involving allegations made by former students against Mr. Rash. Because this is a matter involving students, personnel, and criminal and civil litigation, we are unable to comment on the specifics of the case, other than to emphasize the importance of respect for all individuals involved. Additionally, we want our families and community to know that our Board, Administrators, Faculty, and Staff are committed to the learning, safety and wellbeing of all our students. We will continue to work to support our students in any way we can.”
Walworth County Judge Daniel Johnson has ordered a pre-sentencing investigation and expects to hear from victims in court before making his decision.
Rash is due back in court for sentencing on March 20.
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