Ohio middle school basketball coach indicted sexual abuse charges

An Ohio high school teacher and middle school basketball coach, who was on unpaid suspension, was recently indicted on nine counts of first-degree sexual abuse and seven counts of sexual abuse by a parent guardian, or custodian.

Dwain Sponseller, 40, worked at Parkersburg South High School in Ohio and was one of 75 people indicted last week by the Wood County Grand Jury.

A recent story from The Marietta Times detailed the indictment by the Wood County grand jury. Below is an excerpt from The Marietta Times story.

According to a release from the Wood County Prosecutor’s Office, the charges stem from incidents that occurred from March 2005 to March of this year.

Parkersburg Police arrested Sponseller in March after it was reported that he had been observed inside VanDevender Middle School, when he was not permitted to be there, in the company of a juvenile.

He was arrested after two juveniles were interviewed, police said.

Wood County Prosecutor Pat Lefebure said the earlier charges were the result of new victims developed during the course of the investigation but he could not elaborate further.

Sponseller remains on unpaid suspension from the school district, Wood County Schools Superintendent Christie Willis said Friday. The board voted to place him on suspension shortly after his arrest in March.

Aaron Luke Cross, 27, in custody at the North Central Regional Jail, was indicted on charges of attempted murder, malicious assault, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, conspiracy to commit possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, use or presentation of a firearm during the commission of a felony, escape and four counts of wanton endangerment involving a firearm.

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Cross was arrested in April after a reported shooting at an apartment in the 1600 block of Tygart Street in Parkersburg and found a resident of the apartment had been shot in the leg.

A search warrant was executed and 4 grams each of suspected fentanyl and methamphetamine were recovered.

To read the full story from The Marietta Times about the Ohio high school teacher and middle school basketball coach, click here.