A former orchestra teacher at Zionsville West Middle School was arrested Thursday after allegations of a sexting relationship with a student.
The Boone County Sheriff's Office arrested Michael Plewa, 33, of Zionsville. He faces four counts of child seduction.
The arrest follows an investigation that began last month when the Division of Child Services received a report from a girl who was a former student at the school. She said she was involved in a sexting relationship with Plewa while she was a student at Zionsville West Middle School.
The girl, who is now 16, told investigators it all started "innocently" in eighth grade, then developed into "sexting" and sharing photos, including one of the teen "in her underwear" performing a sex act. Plewa allegedly showed up at her house at one point after texts about a "no pants party."
The communication continued through the girl's freshman year. When she was a sophomore, the teen's father allegedly found out about the texts and texted Plewa to stop.
The girl says she now feels "confused and guilty" about the relationship, which she says was never physical.
"Weird how it hits home, when you see the stories on the news and now, right there," said Plewa's neighbors, Cindy and Matthew Palmer.
Plewa played cello with the Carmel Symphony and worked in the school for about a decade with no other reported incidents. But one incident is enough for parents in Zionsville.
"Quite frankly, it's pretty sad. It's pretty concerning. I think we need to take a good hard look at who is working with our kids," said parent Erika Lewis.
Plewa has since resigned. He faces a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison and $10,000 fine for the four Class D Felony Child Solicitation charges. An initial hearing is scheduled for Friday.
Zionsville Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Scott Robison released this statement:
"On March 21, the Boone County Sheriff's Office notified ZCS about an investigation they were conducting which involved an allegation of inappropriate communications by a ZWMS teacher with a former student. ZCS cooperated fully with law enforcement, and I thank them for their efforts to inform us in these matters so that we can work together to ensure students are protected.
Once informed, ZCS began its own investigation as well as cooperating with the Boone County Sheriff's Office. The employee submitted his resignation early in the process. Our review of ZCS electronic communications did not yield evidence of inappropriate communications using school devices.
Additionally, no past report to school officials of inappropriate communications involving the former employee was discovered. Today I learned from law enforcement officials that the former employee was arrested and taken into custody.
Our students' safety and well-being are of paramount importance. We will continue to take all necessary actions to protect them and take seriously our duty to uphold the trust afforded ZCS by the Zionsville community. We appreciate the partnership with our law enforcement professionals which assists us in doing so."
Statement from Boone County Sheriff Mike Nielsen:
"Protecting our children in Boone County is one of our number one goals. This is a great example of the Department of Child Services, the Boone County
Prosecutors office, the Boone County Sheriff's Office and the Zionsville Community Schools working together to achieve our goal of protecting our children."
Statement from Boone County Prosecutor Todd Meyer:
"This case comes at a time when my office is seeing more and more of this type of communication between adults and children, which is disturbing and very concerning. The relationships children have with their teachers, coaches and other adult youth group leaders is developed and built around trust
and unfortunately some adults who work with youth choose to violate this position of trust for their own self-gratification. Parents need to pay close attention to the types of electronic communication their children have with others via their smartphones, tablets, etc. and if they suspect anything
inappropriate they should report it to law enforcement immediately."
