More teachers in trouble: 5 recent cases of alleged improper conduct

A Kettering Fairmont High School substitute teacher is the latest area teacher to face questions of improper conduct.

Madeline Marx faces felony charges after an arrest Wednesday by Kettering police.

The 23-year-old is charged with two felony counts of sexual battery. She is accused of having a sexual relationship with at least two Fairmont High School students, police said.

RELATED: Substitute teacher faces charges of improper conduct with students

The Brookville woman, who also served as substitute in Oakwood schools, has been released from jail on the charges, which date back to July.

Here are five other cases involving accusations of misconduct by educators:

-Springboro elementary teacher. In August a Springboro elementary school teacher, Amy Panzeca, was arrested on charges of permitting drug abuse and endangering children.

Panzeca is on leave from her job. The fifth-grade teacher was arrested Aug. 14 at a relative’s home on Sesame Street.

RELATED: What we know about Madeline Marx

Court documents allege Panzeca allowed both the sale and use of drugs in her home. In August, she pleaded not guilty to charges.

Panzeca, 48, has taught in Springboro schools for more than 20 years.

- Former Dayton Public Schools coach and teacher's aide. Donte D. Murphy was indicted in July 2016 for sexual battery against a student.

Murphy was sentenced in October to five years of probation after being found guilty of five felonies – forgery, tampering with government records and three counts of sexual battery.

County Prosecutor’s spokesman Greg Flannagan has said there was one victim in the case, a female student who had already turned 18.

RELATED: Police build drug case against Springboro teacher

Dayton police records show a sexual assault complaint was filed May 5, 2016, at Ponitz Career Technology Center by an 18-year-old female student, citing incidents that occurred in February and on May 1 of that year.

Murphy served as head boys track coach at Ponitz from 2012 until March 2016. He was hired as a classroom aide in August 2014, five months after his arrest on a solicitation charge stemming from an incident on Wayne Avenue in Dayton.

-Tipp City athletic director. Tipp City schools former Athletic Director Matt Shomper stepped down in April 2016 after being put on paid administrative leave in February.

RELATED: Other area teachers accused of improper conduct

Search warrants were executed in February at his Tippecanoe High School office, his home and his vehicle. The search was part of an investigation involving Tipp City police, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the State Auditor’s Office and the Ohio Ethics Commission.

No charges have been filed and the case remains under investigation. The investigation began in September 2015, when Superintendent Gretta Kumpf reported to Tipp City police irregularities found by state auditors in the athletic department.

Shomper signed a separation agreement. He had been the athletic director since 2006.

-Former Huber Heights teacher. Steve Jutras was 47 when he was sentenced in November 2016 to prison for attempting to run down a woman in the parking lot of the Walmart in Butler Twp.

He was given three years on a felonious assault charge to run concurrent with a previous drug conviction.

DOWNLOAD OUR MOBILE APPS FOR LATEST BREAKING NEWS

He was sentenced to two years for the drug conviction, and is expected to get credit for five-and-a-half months he spent in jail.

Testimony from the victim had gone on for two hours before Jutras changed his plea. He attempted to run down the woman, who he knew, in the parking lot of Walmart, 3465 York Commons Blvd., on Nov. 5, 2015, according to police.

Jutras was once named Teacher of the Year and a role model who was at the top of his profession and respected by his students. However, he let his guard down and let drugs into his life, his attorney Jose Lopez said after the sentencing.

-Butler County teacher convicted in June. Former Fairfield high school teacher Tyler Conrad was found guilty on charges of sexual imposition and contributing to delinquency of a minor.

The 26-year-old was placed on administrative leave Oct. 13, 2016, before being indicted in on sexual battery as well as the charges for which he was eventually convicted.

The investigation began when Fairfield police were contacted by Butler County Children Services about possible illegal activity between a Fairfield High School teacher and student. Police opened an investigation, advised school administrators of the allegations, and evidence was presented to a grand jury for consideration, according to police.

The alleged activity happened between Conrad and a 16-year-old female student between Aug. 16 and Oct. 9, according to the indictment.

Conrad was hired by Fairfield schools on Aug. 6, 2015.

About the Author