Former Golden Meadow Junior High teacher faces charges of sex crimes against teens
A former middle school art teacher faces charges of sex crimes against teenagers.
Ralph Cheramie Jr., 64, faces four counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile, one with a victim under 13; five counts of sexual battery, one with a victim under 13; one count of oral sexual battery and one count of molestation of a juvenile.
He is scheduled to face trial Feb. 26 at the Thibodaux Courthouse in Judge Christopher Boudreaux's courtroom. Prosecuting the case is Assistant District Attorney Jason Chatagnier, and currently representing Cheramie is Defense Attorney Tracy Shwab.
Cheramie was an art teacher at Golden Meadow Junior High, a former member of the Les Artists du Bayou, served for three years as a panel leader for the National Endowment of the Arts and conducted workshops for the Larose Art Guild.
Three women, at least one of whom was his student, have accused him of sexually abusing them between 12 and 20 years ago. The women were all under the ages of 15 at the time. One was under 13.
Cheramie was arrested May 31, 2022 by the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office, when detectives say they learned of the inappropriate sexual contact with a young teenager. Two more came forward after the initial charges, and the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office added additional charges to Cheramie May 4, 2023.
This article originally appeared on The Courier: Former middle school teacher faces charges of sex crimes against teens
