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Las Vegas teacher had 6 encounters with student, report says

Updated September 14, 2018 - 11:59 pm

A Las Vegas Academy teacher who was arrested on suspicion of sexual conduct with a student had six sexual encounters with the then-18-year-old on the school’s campus, according to court documents.

Former theater teacher John Robert Morris, 56, was arrested Sunday after a former student now in college told a counselor about the relationship.

But the student, whose name is redacted, did not want the school to get a bad name through the media or want Morris to lose his job, according to a Metropolitan Police Department arrest report.

Morris worked for the Clark County School District since 1990 but was assigned to home after police began investigating the complaint in January. He retired from the school district in May.

After Child Protective Services lodged a complaint with police, the former student first stated that she did not have a relationship with her teacher until after she graduated, according to the affidavit. She asked to withdraw the complaint and have no further contact with police on the matter.

But in a later interview, the student told police she had an inappropriate relationship with a male teacher between March and May 2017 — before she received a diploma.

She said the relationship was consensual.

“(Name redacted) was also worried that she would have to testify and that her name would get out to the students and staff at LVA,” the report states.

The assistant principal of the school also notified police that a staff member had spoken with the student, who babysat for her the same day police received the complaint.

The student told that staff member that she’d had sexual relations with Morris but did not want him to lose his job or see the school get bad media attention, according to the affidavit.

Morris is out on bond on the condition that he stay away from the victim or anyone under 17, according to court records.

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