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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A Franklin County middle school teacher accused of having sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl pleaded guilty in court Monday.

According to Franklin County Court of Common Pleas documents, Benjamin Rutan, 42, of Grove City, pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. This was two out of six total charges after he had been accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl in 2013.

Arrest documents said Rutan was the girl’s language arts teacher, track and basketball coach at Norton Middle School in the South-Western City School District at the time the sexual contact began in June 2013. They noted that the sexual contact continued several times a week – on school grounds, in Rutan’s classroom, his coach’s office, in the school’s parking lot and in other locations in Franklin County. The incidents continued until she was 19.

Police said the victim first contacted authorities on Nov. 17, 2021, and was given a recording device on Dec. 2, 2021, with which she allegedly caught Rutan admitting the sexual contact several times during a conversation.

Rutan, who was arrested on Dec. 8, 2021, was issued a $50,000 bond, and initially charged with two counts of sexual battery and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. He was placed on administrative leave the same day.

Benjamin Rutan

The victim came forward publicly after Monday’s hearing. Madison Sparks, now 24, released a prepared statement.

“My childhood and innocence were stolen from me by a grown man in plain sight,” Sparks wrote. “While Ben’s guilty pleas are a step forward in my lifelong healing process, I continue to grapple with the fact that many people who had an obligation to protect me from harm chose to do nothing.”

Sparks’ attorney, Chelsea Weaver, said additional lawsuits against the South-Western School District are ongoing.

“School districts bear a legal responsibility to safeguard their students, and South-Western City Schools fell short in ensuring the safety of Madison Sparks,” Weaver said. “Despite possessing ample information about Rutan’s aberrant and unlawful conduct, the same conduct he has now pleaded guilty to in a court of law, the district failed to take any corrective measures.”

Rutan will receive sentencing by a judge in April.