Former Maize teacher, ex-cop gets probation in student sex case
A Sedgwick County judge on Wednesday ordered an ex-teacher and former police officer to serve three years of probation for a sexual relationship he carried on last year with a 17-year-old Maize Career Academy student.
Johnny P. Yelverton could be sent to prison for 32 months if he violates the terms of his probation, an assistant of Judge Bruce Brown said by e-mail. Yelverton pleaded guilty in December to two counts of unlawful sexual relations with a 17-year-old girl. In addition to serving probation, he also has to register as a sex offender, according to court records.
Yelverton, 45, had sex with the girl in his classroom and at off-campus locations between March and May, 6, 2018, when the girl’s mother and stepfather discovered their romantic involvement and notified police. An affidavit released last year says the relationship started with SnapChat and We Chat messages before it escalated into intercourse and that Yelverton knew it was against the law.
Yelverton taught fire science and law and public safety courses to Maize High School and Maize South High School students at the academy, which offers college- and career-readiness programs. He resigned from his teaching job four days after his May 7 arrest.
This story was originally published January 16, 2019 at 5:27 PM.
