After three years, one trial and dozens of hearings, a Summit County judge is dismissing all charges against three former educators caught up in the Summit Middle School sex assault scandal.
Former principal Greg Guevara, former counselor Marueen Flannagan and former administrator Greg Schmidt are cleared of failure to report the alleged abuse.
Judge Edward Casias says a grand jury had no jurisdiction when it indicted all three.
Another employee named in the case, former HR specialist Amanda Southern, pleaded guilty for failure to report in January.
Exactly one year ago today, the accused teacher, Leonard Grams, went to trial. At least three students accused him of fondling them during gym class. Summit County Sheriff’s detectives and the students themselves testified against Grams on eight counts of felony sex abuse.
The local jury found Grams not guilty on all charges. Jurors found no evidence of abuse, saying any contact was accidental.
Attorneys for the remaining three educators jumped on this verdict and brought their case back to court. The District Attorney’s office wanted to charge them together and was denied.
This led to the most recent and final chapter of the scandal, when attorneys asked Casias to dismiss the case, saying the grand jury had no jurisdiction in this case.
Casias agreed with the defendants.