Wichita teacher, recent City Council candidate charged with unlawful sexual relations
A former Wichita teacher and recent City Council candidate is facing criminal charges over an alleged relationship he had with a teenage student.
Rodney C. Wren, 39, was arrested and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on Friday on suspicion of unlawful sexual relations following an investigation by the Wichita Police Department. Officer Charley Davidson said by email that a former student of Wren’s last month reported having a relationship with him in the past.
At the time, the girl was a teenager attending Wichita Collegiate School, where Wren taught debate and forensics.
Wren was terminated when Collegiate learned of his arrest late Friday afternoon, Head of School Nathan Washer said in an emailed response to questions from The Eagle.
Wren’s lawyer, John Rapp, said by email that his client “hopes that our community will withhold judgment until he has had an opportunity to tell his side of the story in Court.”
On Jan. 11, the former student, who police records show is now 21, reported the alleged relationship, which included sending photographs to Wren. Davidson said the case was presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Court records show Wren is charged with three counts of unlawful sexual relations with a student 16 or older for acts that occurred in May, June and August of 2015. He made a first appearance in Sedgwick County District Court on the charges Monday morning. The court set his next court date, a preliminary hearing, for Feb. 20.
Wichita Collegiate School officials are cooperating with the investigation, Davidson said in the email. Wren has long been a teacher and debate coach at the school, according to previous news reports by The Eagle.
Washer, in an emailed statement to The Eagle, called Wren’s arrest “extremely disturbing to our Wichita Collegiate School community.”
“After previously learning of law enforcement’s investigation, Mr. Wren was placed on administrative leave. With his arrest, Mr. Wren has been terminated from Collegiate,” he wrote.
“Collegiate has been fully cooperating with authorities and will continue to do so. Our school has zero tolerance for any unprofessional conduct that falls below the standards we expect from our employees. The safety of our students is – and always will be – paramount.
“Our school counselors stand ready to help with any student who expresses distress over this situation. Further, we are contacting various local organizations who can help our community better understand and combat the issues of sexual harassment and sexual abuse. We want to ensure that our students have all the resources available to them so that they feel supported, protected, and informed.”
In addition to teaching, Wren was among candidates who challenged Wichita City Council member Becky Tuttle for the District 2 seat representing parts of east Wichita on Nov. 5. He also ran for the Kansas House of Representatives District 83 seat in 2012 but dropped out of the race due to personal attacks.
Wren was no longer in jail on Monday, an online log of inmates shows. He was released after staff “determined he was in need of an emergency medical evaluation” on Feb. 8 “so he was taken to Comcare,” Sedgwick County sheriff’s Lt. Timothy Myers said by email. Comcare is Sedgwick County’s mental health and substance abuse crisis center.
This story was originally published February 10, 2020 at 12:27 PM.
