Residents of Hudson, Ohio, about a half-hour southeast of Cleveland, are demanding answers after a local high school student was permitted to attend school and compete in track events for months even after he was charged with raping a 9-year-old child.
According to the indictment seen by Blaze News before the case was sealed, last December, Jeremiah Earl Stoehr allegedly lured a 9-year-old child — who is a boy, as indicated by the pronouns used in the indictment — “for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity.” Stoehr then allegedly raped the boy. Stoehr is believed to have been an 18-year-old adult at the time of the alleged assault.
Stoehr had apparently been going to class and participating in track practices and meets — wearing an ankle bracelet — while students and parents remained in the dark about the charges against him.
In February, Stoehr was arrested and subsequently indicted by a grand jury on five felony counts: first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, third-degree gross sexual imposition, and fifth-degree disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.
Despite the seriousness of those charges, Stoehr was assessed a $25,000 bond, and he paid 10% of it to ensure his release from custody. He was then ordered to wear a GPS tracking device, abide by a curfew, and have no contact with the “prosecuting witness” or the witness’ “family members,” according to the arraignment document seen by Blaze News before the case was sealed.
Still, neither Judge Alison Breaux nor the Hudson City School District prevented Stoehr from continuing to attend school and most extracurricular activities as normal, so long as he had “maximum pretrial supervision” as well. In fact, according to documents seen by Blaze News before the case was sealed, the court granted curfew extensions so that Stoehr could attend multiple functions that are not related to education, including a track banquet, prom, and an after-prom event.
Whether he attended the prom-related activities is unclear. However, until the last couple of weeks, Stoehr had apparently been going to class and participating in track practices and meets — wearing an ankle bracelet — while students and parents remained in the dark about the charges against him.
On Monday, the district acknowledged via email that “one of [its] high school students” was the subject of criminal investigation. By Thursday, this student — ostensibly Stoehr — had “voluntarily” decided to refrain from attending all “activities pertaining to Hudson High School for the rest of the school year,” including classes and graduation, according to a follow-up email from Superintendent Dana Addis seen by Blaze News.
Addis added in the email that the district “is extremely limited in what information” it can share with parents. He also noted that “the alleged incident did not occur on district property and did not involve another Hudson City School District student.”
Blaze News spoke with several parents with children in the district, and many reiterated that Stoehr has not been convicted of these crimes and is therefore entitled to due process and the presumption of innocence. Still, they likewise expressed relief that Stoehr agreed to steer clear of campus for the time being and frustration that the district was not more forthright about the accusations until recently.
“The Hudson Schools have not communicated well with regard to the current situation, where an alleged child rapist has been attending school, running track, and living the same student life as everyone else. I don’t begrudge him that, if he’s not been convicted of anything. But I do think the school system could have communicated better about the issue,” said George Carson, whose son attends Hudson High School.
In a recent Substack article about the case, Jeff Charles, a self-described “political commentator and satirist” who also writes for RedState, likewise stated that “members of the community feel” that the recent communication from the district “is too little, too late.”
The school “seems more worried about its reputation than the safety of its students,” one parent told Charles. “It’s all about rankings and appearances rather than real proactive measures to safeguard its students.”
On Thursday afternoon, the judge approved a motion to remove all materials about the case from the website of the Summit County clerk of courts and to “seal the docket until the conclusion of the trial in this matter,” according to a court document reviewed by Blaze News. Defense counsel Maxwell Hiltner made the request out of concern for the “privacy and safety of all parties involved.” Prosecutors raised no objection to removing the materials and sealing the case, the document said.
Brian LoPrinzi, chief of the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office Criminal Division, told Blaze News: “Per the Ohio rules of professional conduct, the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office cannot comment publicly on open cases or investigations.”
Hiltner, the attorney representing Stoehr, gave Jeff Charles the following statement: “Jeremiah has pleaded not guilty to all charges, he maintains his innocence, and in this country he’s presumed to be innocent. As such, both he and his family are asking for privacy at this time.”
Hiltner told Blaze News: “My client is adamant that he didn’t do any of those things, or commit any of these offenses.”
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Child rape, Child sex abuse, Crime, T3
