Former South-Western teacher pleads guilty to sexually abusing student for years
A former South-Western City School District teacher and coach admitted Monday to sexually abusing a student beginning when she was 14 years old in 2013.
Benjamin Rutan, 42, of Grove City, pleaded guilty in Franklin County Common Pleas Court to two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
In exchange for his plea, county prosecutors dropped other charges and recommended a prison sentence of six years.
The former student, now 24-year-old Madison Sparks, was in court for the guilty plea. Sparks spoke exclusively with The Dispatch last year about how Rutan singled her out and groomed her for a six-year sexual relationship that Sparks said robbed her of her childhood and direction.
Judge Jaiza Page ordered a presentence investigation and decided not to sentence Rutan until April 1, a move that did't go over well with Sparks.
Chelsea Weaver, Sparks' attorney, said Sparks was disappointed Monday because she believed sentencing was supposed to happen immediately and that she would finally get some closure more than two years after she came forward in late 2021.
The criminal case is also holding up the civil lawsuit that Sparks filed against Rutan, South-Western City Schools, six current or former administrators and the school board.
Sparks is accusing the district of failing to protect her from Rutan, who had sex with her on school property for several years.
Rutan was Sparks' eighth grade language arts teacher and her track and basketball coach. Sparks said she was first sexually assaulted by Rutan in the Norton Middle School girls’ locker room during the summer of 2013, when Rutan was 31 and Sparks was 14.
"My childhood and innocence were stolen from me by a grown man in plain sight," Sparks said in a released statement. "As my middle school teacher, Benjamin Rutan had an obligation to be a positive influence in my life. Instead, he preyed on me, masterminding a deviant world that was not only isolating and abusive but it was also criminal. While Ben's guilty pleas are a step forward in my lifelong healing process, I continue to grapple with the fact that many people who had an obligation to protect me from harm chose to do nothing."
Sparks said that as an adult, she has found her voice and intends to hold all parties accountable.
Weaver said school districts are legally responsible for protecting their students, and South-Western City School District fell short.
“Our legal pursuit against the district is ongoing, and we anticipate additional individuals being held accountable for their failure to protect a child under their care," Weaver said.
jlaird@dispatch.com
@LairdWrites
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ex-South-Western teacher, coach pleads to sexually abusing student
