Chad Widener
Posted by: Webmaster in Coaches, High Schools, Junior High Schools, ME-FV, Ohio(08/15/08 - Initial BBT Report)
Chad Widener, 37, a former history teacher at Miami East Junior High School and girls varsity basketball coach at Miami East High School, in Casstown, Ohio has been indicted by a Miami County grand jury on a charge of importuning, a fifth-degree felony.
Widener came to the attention of authorities in February when the parents of a 15-year-old female student complained to the county sheriff’s office about a text message to their daughter.
It is alleged that Investigators checked a message containing “sexual statements” between the girl and an unknown male and through phone records identified Widener as the writer of the message.
Widener has reportedly submitted a letter of resignation to the school system. He had been on paid administrative leave since February.
Widener’s father is reported to be a Miami County commissioner.
If convicted, Widener faces a maximum of 12 months in prison, a fine as high as $2,500 and he could lose his teaching certificate for the state of Ohio.
08/22/08 - Court Hearing
Chad Widener has pleaded not guilty to a felony charge accusing him of contacting a 15-year-old girl regarding sexual activity.
Widener was released on his own recognizance and ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim.
A special prosecutor and judge from Shelby County handled Friday’s hearing at the request of Miami County prosecutors and judges who wish to avoid any appearance of impropriety because of their relationship with Widener’s father, a Miami County Commissioner.
09/02/08 - Pre-Trial Conference
A pre-trial conference was held today for Chad Widener.
At that hearing his trial date was set for December 11th and 12 in Miami County Common Pleas Court.
A Shelby County Common Pleas Court judge and prosecutor continue to handle the case to avoid any appearance of a conflict by Miami County prosecutors and judges.
References:
Ex-teacher, coach faces trial for contacting girl, 15, about sex (09/02/08)
Former teacher and coach pleads not guilty to sex charge (08/22/08)
Ex-teacher, coach indicted on importuning charge (08/14/08)
Chad Widener’s Web Page On School Web Site is available currently but it probably will not be for much longer.
Your IP Address is:
66.235.124.55
Entries (RSS)
August 30th, 2008 at 9:31 am
GURU 2, it is not surprising that you support Mr. Widener; you are a truth weaver yourself. You say you champion the truth and accuse others of having made up their minds already yet you have written that you will never believe that Mr. Widener is guilty. You say that former student thinks he is guilty for one reason (calling the girls for excessive meetings and controlling their personal lives) yet you ignore the rest of the reasons former student’s reasons. You must not be able to disagree with those reasons. And you accuse former student of letting the media make up their mind for them. At least with Stagerlee you mistakenly admit that the only way Mr. Widener can be innocent is that someone else must have taken his phone from him. We haven’t heard the wayward teacher make that claim! Then you blame the media for the 15 year old girl being guilty of railroading Mr. Widener.
GURU 2 you also accuse me of being immature while you are using the internet to spread rumors about a 15 year old girl. How mature is that?
In true Widener fashion you insult anyone who has disagreed with Mr. Widener’s improper sexually oriented relationships with teenage girls.
Try to make the truth what you need it to be at the moment. We see through you just like we saw through Mr. Widener.
And his small group of very vocal supporters is not made of good Christians. Those are the bad Christians. That’s why the group is so small.
MR. Widener has something else in common with every one of the teachers on BadBadTeacher.com, that’s someone who swears that the teacher has to be innocent.
GURU 2, you are such a Widener.
Tell Benny and Sharon the last one was a mistake.
August 28th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
FormerStudent: You sound like you’ve kind of made up your mind that he’s guilty and that’s fine if that’s the way you roll. I, however, am waiting to see what the details of the investigation are. Now you can say that you saw this coming because he used to call the girls basketball players into his room at lunch time. Personally I have witnessed him speaking in the hall with a couple of girls on personal problems they were having with each other on the team. I have never coached a girls basketball team or any other girls team for that matter, but I can say this…. Girls are catty, and when teammates are at each other’s throat over something that happened at a game or something that happened with a boyfriend, then your team isn’t going to be very successful. Widener wanted every team he had to be successful and for the most part I think we can all agree that he was. Is it because he addressed problems and issues with the girl’s attitudes? I’d like to think that that was what was going on. As far as the girls being the only one’s that flock to Widener during ball games, I would like to say that my sons have typically sat/stood with Widener at many a basketball/football games to talk and visit with a teacher that they liked to be around. I think most of these kids do look at Widener as a mentor and if you like a teacher I don’t think that’s creepy unless you’ve let the media think that it is. I again will state, let’s see what the 1 text message of his consists of and then cast our opinions of his innocence. But not until then.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:41 am
I have read all the previous comments and respect all of those peoples’ opinions. Widener was my math teacher in junior high, my high school basketball coach (only 1 year, he was crazy about coaching, talk about having no life when you play for him) and I also went on a trip abroad with him (nothing unusual). I have grown up thinking this man was on a pedestal; at least that’s how people from Miami East treat him. It’s all about your name in this community and his was highly respected, until he ruined it with his own actions. He always demanded respect be shown to him and others and it’s a shame he didn’t take his own advice. If you would have asked me about this a year ago, I would have said “no way” but then I would have also thrown in a “but I kind of saw this coming”. Mr. Widener was WAY too friendly with every girl on his basketball team. During his one year that he taught at the High School (which he was not certified to do) he would frequently call varsity girls basketball team members to his room for a little meeting during lunch. What was so important that he couldn’t wait 2 and a half hours for the day to be over? I know this isn’t a real big deal, but come on…who does this as excessive as he did (maybe 5 times a month)? Anyone who went to a ME boys basketball game could have easily seen the girls flock to where he was seated with his family and friends. It wouldn’t have been as weird if they would have stayed and talked a bit, but when you’re surrounded by the girls all the time…that’s a bit odd. I don’t remember how I got his AIM name when I was in junior high, but I know many people had it. I never spoke to him online, no reason to.
After all this I truly feel sorry for his wife, who found out she was expecting right about the time this all came into the light. She and her daughter will always remember this traumatic event and I hope they can work through it as a family. His reputation is ruined in Miami County because I know how people LOVE to gossip at Miami East…but ya know what? He made this ordeal and now he has to deal with it. Besides, if he was wise and not into importuning…he would have covered his butt as soon as the girl started to talk inappropriately. If he didn’t mind it, he would have.
For everyone who is completely shocked by this, why? People only allow you to see the side of them that they want to be seen (politics should have taught you that). As for his truth-weaving abilities…I definitely believe that. He’s a clever talker that knows how to manipulate his words. If you know him in the classroom, on the court or as a regular person…I’m sure you can see the truth in those words.
If he’s innocent, good luck clearing your name…if not, I guess you get what you deserve. Best of luck to him and his family…they’ll need it.
August 25th, 2008 at 1:16 am
Staggerlee - If my post inferred that someone else pushing the buttons was his defense, I apologize. I have no idea what his defense is and have stated that I look forward to hearing the truth. I was posting my opinion of what could have possibly happened to explain his innocence, not what did happen. See the rumor thing cycling? As for the rest of your post, I agree absolutely that he should have brought this to light if this was happening repeatedly. I don’t know that maybe he did because we don’t know all that went on. Those details of what transpired in that time period and prior are what we are ALL waiting on. My information of her being obsessed came from numerous kids @ school. IMO if you wanna know what’s going on @ school, ask one kid and then ask some more. It did say in the report that her parents were having trouble with her sending and receiving texts/e-mails of sexual nature. The report didn’t make it sound as if it was just Widener. Notice that she still had access to her PC/phone when having trouble with her? Mine would not. Have you talked to a 15 year old lately? Have you seen what these kids watch on TV, the movies they go to, and the music (OMG! I sound like MY parents!)? I was just told by my 15 year old that scripts are allowed to say the F-word once in a PG-13 movie. I looked it up, I didn’t know that, sure enough… I was shocked. Tells me society says they’re old enough to hear that word used in conversation @ 13. I wish I’d gotten to vote on that one. Not old enough to know better? Hmmmm. They’re pretty wise to the world at 13. I feel I have open communication with my kids and frequently monitor their “im” and “myspace” conversations. Not that they like it, but I do. I didn’t have a problem with my kids “im”ing Widener. I’ve said “hi” through their conversations when checking in on them. They have asked about homework or trip-planning questions or just to shoot the breeze. Besides cow-tipping there’s not alot to do out here. They became friends through school and then travels. He’s not just talking to teenage girls on im as you make it sound dirty. He has a daughter who is much younger but views many of his students as HER friends because they have traveled together. In our case, he was talking to all his students who are teenagers of both sexes who respect him and wanted to chit-chat. I don’t know if East or the State has a policy on internet/phone/mail contact between students and teachers. Out here, most pc’s are on dial-up and im is the only thing that works quick for conversing. We’re in the boonies, this technology is kinda new so maybe that’s where East needs to focus if people have a problem with their teenager “im”ing a teacher that makes himself/herself available for communication. Is it wrong? IMO it depends on your ability to parent your kid and supervise ANY internet activity. It depends on how well you know and trust the teacher on the other end. I don’t have a problem with it.
August 24th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
Easteregg, I have a life…I’m only posting to support Coach Widener on this thread because I feel it is important to make sure that everyone realizes the guy is innocent until proven guilty. Unlike yourself, who appears to monitor and comment on many others, this is the only thread I care about. Guru 100+(very mature.. chuckle), The support group’s not small at all, there are more supporters of Chad than you think. Most are good Christian people who are quietly waiting to see what the full truth is and not casting judgement either way. I am maybe a little more vocal because I like to champion the truth. Rumors fly around this community like crazy and all should be wary of believing anything until they have proof. Maybe you’re right, maybe fools will be made. Could be me or it could be you. For now I have to go with my heart and believe in the person’s character I’ve known and wait it out. He’s earned that from me.
August 24th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
A. Friend , I have learned the only mind and heart you truly know in this world is your own. As for the rest of the world, you only know as much as someone wants you to know or as much as you’re smart enough to figure out.
Guru-2, you keep supporting him, I admire your tenacity. He needs people like you to believe in him as much as he believes in himself. Liars believe their own lies and they don’t waste their time or energy on folks who can see thru them.
Here is what should have happened if he had walked the straight and narrow…..If you are a true professional, always aware of what could happen to your delicate career working with KIDS, and you received a sexual solicitation of ANY type from a student, you would report it IMMEDIATELY to someone of higher authority so you had a record of it being reported, you would show someone of higher authority the Texts/Emails, you would visit the family, speak to her parents, make it all up front and not give ANY room for error. Nothing hush hush. You would handle it like an adult. Document everything. You would cover your a** like there’s no tomorrow lest someone get the wrong idea.
(Someone tell me why my co-workers 14 year old daughter had Widener’s AOL IM screen name when she went thru his class 3 years ago?? Why would a grown man share that w/his students? Why would he be at all interested in chatting online w/teenage girls?)
Any one who paints that girl as the agressor, the perpetrator, “an obsessed teenager” is a fool. And shame on you for placing blame on the one who actually may not have been old enough to know better. 15 years old. Think about that. “HER phone records led to him”. Yes her phone records will show both INCOMING AND OUTGOING numbers, ever looked at a Verizon bill? That doesn’t prove she was the agressor. His phone records, had they been available like hers were, would have led straight to her too. God Bless him, he’s not perfect, as a child of God he’s not expected to be. But when you have participated in something that is wrong and are found out, admittance and repentance are the necessary steps, not denial. I would have been so moved by that. That, I could respect. But a story about someone else pushing the buttons? I eagerly wait to hear him explain the circumstances of his phone being stolen and he being set up. How important does this guy think he is? Aren’t there cows that need tipping? There’s got to be something else to do in Miami county besides framing the history teacher.
And one more thing before I go…somewhere there is a young girl in our own community who for a period of time, probably felt like this guy actually cared for her. Somewhere she sits, maybe feeling shame, confused hearing his story of her being the agressor, that he was set up, he never cared for her, she is just a creepy, crushing young girl who has caused this innocent man of “such high morals” to lose his job and gain a webpage. Her heart may be breaking that he lied to her too. She’s a human, she’s a young girl, a child like yours or mine, who will be forever changed by these events. My heart goes out to her. I would like to tell her there is no shame in letting your heart love someone and it’s not your fault when they turn out to be a creep. There will be people on here and other places who call you all sorts of names b/c your texts had a sexual content. I am sure that if your converstions were eventually of a sexual nature, there were probably many more that were wonderful leading up to that. Lots of sharing and discovering leading up to those intense feelings. (I would also like to note here that sex is a beautiful gift from God, intended for adults who are married, but that’s a whole other lesson.) I would like to tell this young girl I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you had to learn so early that there are people in this world who will take advantage of you for their own gratification. Use you like you’re disposable and move on while they trash your name in an attempt to prevent themselves from looking bad. A very hard lesson for a young girl to swallow. If your parents even let you anywhere near the internet, I hope you read these words: Do not feel ashamed.
August 24th, 2008 at 10:23 am
all you guru,s need 2 get a life. we got the picture by now.and guru2? lawyers are in it for the money.they could careless.they might pretend they do.when all is said and done. they go home.