Former teacher pleads guilty to sexual battery

LISBON - A former Columbiana teacher pleaded guilty to sexual battery Friday, admitting he had sex with a female student last year.

The move effectively ends the teaching career of Joseph Neiheisel and begins his life as a registered sex offender once he's sentenced on Aug. 28 for the third-degree felony charge.

The 26-year-old who resides at 40954 Cherry Fork Road, Leetonia, entered the plea in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court as part of an agreement which calls for the prosecution to recommend a six-month term in the Eastern Ohio Correction Center, a prison-alternative facility for probationers. After that, he'll be on probation for five years.

The charge against him carries a possible prison term of one to five years and a $15,000 fine. Judge David Tobin will decide whether to follow the prosecutor's recommendation.

"The driving force behind this agreement was the victim and her family," county assistant Prosecutor Tim McNicol said.

At the onset of the case, he said certain members of the family, including the 16-year-old victim, indicated they didn't want Neiheisel prosecuted. According to court documents, the sexual conduct occurred on Sept. 20 at a residence on Springfield Road in Columbiana. At the time, Neiheisel was the girl's physics teacher.

The girl told a family member what happened. Columbiana Schools Superintendent Ron Iarussi received an anonymous e-mail about the allegations and referred the situation to Children Services, resulting in an investigation.

McNicol said previously the student admitted what happened during an interview with Children Services and reported she had contact with the teacher via cell phone text messages. Columbiana Police Det. John Jay, who investigated the case, seized phone records which showed a total of 4,622 minutes worth of calls from the teacher's phone to the student's phone in the three months prior to the allegations surfacing.

Neiheisel was originally placed on paid administrative leave from the school in November after the allegations of inappropriate conduct surfaced, then he was placed on unpaid administrative leave in December. In April, the Columbiana school board chose not to renew his limited, one-year contract. He had been on the school staff for a year, serving as a permanent substitute last school year.

Once he's convicted, McNicol said he'll be forever barred from seeking certification as a teacher. He'll have to forfeit his teaching certificate in Ohio and not seek certification in any other state.

He'll also be deemed a Tier III sex offender, meaning he'll have to register his address every 90 days at the Sheriff's Office of the county where he's residing for the rest of his life. He'll also be restricted from living within 1,000 feet of a school and the Sheriff's Office will be required to notify anyone living within 1,000 feet of Neiheisel of his status as a registered sex offender.

McNicol said the school district handled the situation appropriately. He also praised the professionalism displayed by Jay in investigating the case and presenting it.