Court upholds charges in Centerville grooming case
Mar. 22—CENTERVILLE — A judge this week ruled to keep 11 of 12 charges on the table in an ongoing lawsuit concerning sexual misconduct and defamation involving a former Centerville High School guidance counselor and student.
On Tuesday, the Iowa District Court in Wapello County mostly rejected a motion filed by the Centerville Community School District and Indian Hills Community College to drop the nine charges against the defendants. Judge Shawn Showers upheld all but one charge, dismissing one count on procedural grounds.
Hodges has been sued by a former student at Centerville High School (identified only as "Jane Doe") on the grounds that he had groomed her when she was 16. This in turn led to her being bullied and harassed by students and staff, the lawsuit pleading reads.
"According to the petition, Ryan engaged in inappropriate conversations with her, harassed her, and texted her at night," the document reads.
A motion to change the venue of the trial has also been rejected, meaning court proceedings will continue in Wapello County moving forward and not be moved to Appanoose County.
Donald Promnitz is the associate editor of the Ottumwa Courier and the Oskaloosa Herald. He can be reached at dpromnitz@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on Twitter @DonPromnitz.
