A former North Carolina teacher stands accused of having a sexual relationship with the same teen that former New York Congress Anthony Weiner was sent to prison for sexting, a television station reported late Friday.
WSOC-TV in Charlotte said Jonathan Busch, 54, of Lake Norman, North Carolina, was arrested on charges of statutory rape of child under 15 and indecent liberties with a child. Mr. Busch was booked in Gaston County jail on Thursday, but released on bond the same day.
Police did not provide details on how he made contact with the girl.
Mr. Busch has been a social studies teacher at Iredell-Statesville School for the past 15 years until he resigned this week, according to the station. He faces a judge on Monday.
Mr. Weiner is expected to be a pivotal figure in the case, WSOC-TV reported. The girl, who is now 18, was 15 years old when Mr. Weiner exchanged lewd photos with her. It was a revelation that sunk his political career and hurt the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, whose top aide was Mr. Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin.
Arrest Warrants for Mr. Busch said that while Mr. Weiner’s scandal was capturing headlines, the ex-teacher, then 52, was having sex with the same teenager.
A child advocacy expert who spoke with WSOC-TV said they were not surprised that Mr. Weiner’s teenage victim would be caught up in yet another sexual misconduct case.
“It’s a lot of sadness,” said Erin Weatherford-Famer, executive director for the Alliance for Children. “There is so much trust that has been broken.”
Going through the judicial process a second time will likely be very tough on the girl, Ms. Weatherford-Famer said.
“They are so vulnerable at that point,” she added.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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