A South Bend teacher has been charged with multiple counts of rape and child seduction.
According to a Facebook post from the LaPorte County Sheriff, police were dispatched to a rural Pleasant Township home on Jan. 4 following a report of a sex offense involving a young teenage girl.
Following an investigation, 35-year-old LaPorte resident John Doty was charged Wednesday with six counts of child seduction, two counts of rape and one count of attempted rape.
Police say Doty is a teacher at a Michiana-area school. According to his LinkedIn, he has been employed as a science teacher at Career and Success Academy in South Bend since February 2021.
Before that, he worked as a biology teacher in LaPorte Community Schools for nine years.
Police say Doty turned himself in at the LaPorte County Jail on Wednesday and was released after a $25,000 cash bond was posted on his behalf.
In a statement, Career Academy Superintendent Jeremy Lugbill said Doty was placed on administrative leave on January 5 — the same day the school was contacted by law enforcement.
“The safety and well-being of students and staff is our top priority,” Lugbill said in the statement. “We will continue to work alongside the appropriate authorities throughout the investigation. Due to the ongoing investigation, we cannot disclose additional personnel information at this time.”
Contact Jakob at jlazzaro@wvpe.org or follow him on Twitter at @JakobLazzaro.
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