Strongsville School Custodian Convicted of Sex Offense
School Board fires employee after he pleads guilty to two charges
A custodian at Zellers Elementary School was fired by the Strongsville School Board Monday night after he was convicted of sexual imposition and assault involving a 13-year-old girl.
LaDon Perkins, 33, who lives in Rocky River, was also labeled a Tier 1 Sex Offender who will have to register with the sheriff's department annually for the next 15 years.
The school board voted unanimously Monday to terminate Perkins' employment.
Superintendent Jeff Lampert said he could not comment on the matter.
But Maria Russo, spokeswoman for Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason, said Perkins was indicted in the fall for gross sexual imposition, a fourth-degree felony, involving a 13-year-old girl.
He pleaded guilty June 4 to reduced charges of assault, a first-degree misdemeanor, and sexual imposition, a third-degree misdemeanor.
Rocky River Lt. Bill Crates said police started an investigation in October after they were notified of the sexual assault by Fairview Hospital.
Crates said the incident took place at Perkins' Rocky River apartment during a sleepover his daughter hosted.
During the sleepover, Perkins allowed the girls to drink liquor -- and drank with them, Crates said. After the 13-year-old victim became intoxicated, he fondled her, according to the indictment.
"There was some contact made between them," Crates said.
Perkins has no previous criminal offenses, authorities said.
Strongsville schools reportedly suspended him without pay in April when officials learned of the charges pending against him.
On June 5, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Michael Astrab imposed a 180-day jail sentence, but suspended it and placed Perkins on probation for two years.
He will also have to pay a $1,000 fine and perform 25 hours of community service.
He will undergo random drug and alcohol tests and has been ordered to attend three Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings a week.
In addition, he will have to register every year as a sex offender for the next 15 years.
Ken McEntee
11:55 am on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
So, was this guy working in the school between the time of his autumn indictment and July 16, when the board fired him? Why is this district so good at attracting sex offenders?
K
1:43 pm on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
I thought the same thing! Why was he only fired Monday night??!! Let's wait until the board meets mid July to do something about it. My kids go to school there! I want to know if he was working from the time he was indicted in August through June 5 when convicted! And of course Lampert has no comment....no surprise there!
James Murphy
5:49 pm on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
did anyone ever bother reading what happened??? he was at home, his daughter had a sleepover he let them drink (stupid) he got drunk with them (more stupid) he touched on of his daughters friends (creepy stupid) he plead guilty ( first smart thing hes done)and they let him plea down to probation and drug and AA meetings.
So what could the school board have fired him for ???? being that the crime happened at his house with a non-student
Meredith Klimaszewski
12:20 pm on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
I have to agree with Ken. This is ridiculous.
neil gordon
12:53 pm on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
I would venture to guess that union rules disallow firing for various reasons, or until the employee was actually convicted of the crime. Public sector Unions..love them or leave them...I say leave them.
neil gordon
1:00 pm on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The unions protect the trash that comes into our district to prey on certain gullible, naive families and their children. I know for the vast majority of teachers and workers in our public schools really are legitimate and passionate about their quality of work. It's just those few rotten ones that the unions protect that irritate me. Dump the Unions, they're all about job and career protection - not our children's education, safety or welfare.
Beverly
2:14 pm on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
I wholeheartedly agree Neil. As for Lampert's lack of response/action:he was probably too busy counting up his pumped up retirement acct. so he could plan when it was enough to leave the district-good riddence.I'm happy to see we finally have some people coming in that truly care about our children.John is wonderful & has a vested interest in our kids having worked in the district for many years in both school & admin. & Cameron Ryba is just a s wonderful. Best wihes to them both-now if we could only do away with the fund-sucking unions that cause the fiscal inmbalance.
kenneth malady
4:14 pm on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Do you even have a job ??? What do you know about unions ???
tom m
4:32 pm on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
chill out kenny .... do not try to preach about union protection of bad employees... unless they are convicted of a cardinal sin the union will keep filing grievances until they get the persons job back......in this case he was in the unions eyes innocent until found guilty ....and guilty is grounds for termination without a union grievance
JC
5:16 pm on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
He worked at Chapman Elementary School.
kenneth malady
6:23 pm on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Sorry Tom but not just union eyes - everyone is entitled to innocent until proven guilty. He was found guilty and fired the next meeting !!!! Maybe he should request his union dues back because they didn't help him keep his job - those damn fund-sucking unions hahahaha !!!! I heard he was in the Tea Party . . . . see . . . I can be just as absurd as everyone else !!!!!
Chris
2:00 pm on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
I have children that attend Zellers. This guy worked at Zellers and is listed in their staff directory. (though maybe he helped at Chapman I don't know). The PD article said the School Board found out about the pending charges In April and "Strongsville Superintendent Jefferey Lampert said Perkins was suspended without pay in April, as soon as the board learned of the investigation.". This world has gotten crazy - You almost have to teach them to trust no one!
janet molly
11:43 am on Friday, July 20, 2012
I have recently attended zellers and i new this custodian by name... its pretty scary tht i would get high fives from a sex offender. Its horrible that they even let him come to zellers around 13 year old girls. We allways new something was weird about him.......
a worker
4:01 pm on Sunday, July 22, 2012
Is this another product of outsourcing? I know that Utica Community Schools in Michigan is having the same problems with their outsourced cleaning company. For eighty years the full time UCS custodians did a GREAT job. Now that Dr Christine Johns Hanes is running things... the district is going downhill fast. The UCS BOE should be ashamed of themselves. Dr Johns should be sent on her way to ruin another districr and the BOE should be replaced.
a worker
2:38 pm on Thursday, August 9, 2012
THERE YOU GO!!!! THIS PROVES MY POINT EXACTLY. THIS DIRT-BAG MUST HAVE HAD A BACKGROUND CHECK... RIGHT? THIS KIND OF LOW-LIFE PROVES THAT A BACKGROUND CHECK MEANS ONE THING AND ONE THING ONLY... A BACKGROUND CHECK SIMPLY MEANS THAT A PERSON HASN'T BEEN COUGHT YET. IT IS NOT A GUARANTEE OF CHILD SAFETY (LIKE THE UCS BOE AND SUPERINTENDENT WANTS YOU TO BELIEVE) A BACKGROUND CHECK MEANS THERE IS NO RECORD OF WRONG DOING/CONVICTION. HOW MANY PERVERTS ARE SNEEKING AROUND YOUR CHILDREN'S SCHOOLS? THEY GET HIRED IN BASED ON THE FACT THAT "THEY'VE BEEN BACKGROUND CHECKED SO THEY;RE SAFE" BIGGEST BUNCH OF BS EVER BESTOWED ON THE UCS PARENTS. GOOGLE ....GCA CUSTODIAL SEX CRIMES. GCA IS THE NAME OF UCS'S NEW CLEANING COMPANY THAT DR JOHNS HANES DECIDED SHOULD BE ALLOWED YOUR CHILDREN.