Kansas teacher accused of sexual relations with student

A former Shawnee city councilman who abruptly resigned earlier this month after being placed on leave from his Olathe teaching job has been arrested and charged with unlawful sexual relations with a student.

Justin Adrian, 33, was arrested Tuesday, four days after Johnson County prosecutors filed the charge against him.

Adrian had resigned from the Shawnee City Council on Sept. 12, two days after he was placed on paid administrative leave from his teaching position at Olathe East High School.

An Olathe Police Department incident report indicates that officers visited Olathe East High School on Sept. 10 to investigate unlawful sexual relations involving a teacher and a student.

According to the complaint, Adrian is accused of engaging in consensual sexual relations with a person 16 or more years old. The alleged incident occurred on Friday, Sept. 7.

The age of consent is 16 in Kansas, but it is a felony for schoolteachers and other authority figures to have sexual relationships with students at the same school.

“Mr. Adrian is cooperating as demonstrated by his voluntary surrender on the charges filed against him,” said Adrian’s attorney, Lindsey Erickson, on Tuesday. “He is prepared to address the accusations/charges in court.”

At the time of his Shawnee City Council resignation, both Adrian and Erickson declined comment to The Star. Adrian also did not state the reasons for his resignation in a letter to the city.

“Out of respect for the city of Shawnee and the city council member position I have proudly held for eight months, I have reluctantly and respectfully made the decision to resign from my position as City Council member, Ward III effective immediately upon notice,” Adrian wrote in a Sept. 12 letter.

Adrian, a Shawnee resident, was elected to the council in November 2017 and took office at the beginning of this year.

He was a history teacher in the Olathe East High School social science department.

An Olathe schools spokesman said that Adrian has submitted his resignation from the district since being placed on leave. The resignation is not final until it is approved by the school board at its Oct. 6 meeting.

Adrian was in custody at the Johnson County jail Tuesday. His bond has been set at $250,000.

This story was originally published September 26, 2018 at 10:54 AM with the headline "Kansas teacher accused of sexual relations with student."