AVON LAKE, Ohio — A female karate instructor has been indicted in Lorain County on three counts of sexual battery for an alleged consensual sexual relationship she had with a karate student when he was 16 and 17 years old.
On March 10, a 19-year-old man went to the Avon Lake Police department to report an inappropriate relationship between him and his 31-year-old karate instructor when he was a minor, according to a news release from Avon Lake Police.
The Avon Lake Detective Bureau investigated and found that Erin Stephens had a consensual sexual relationship with the male when he was a teenage student and worker at the karate studio.
Police said that while the male was of consensual age at the time of the relationship, Ohio Revised Code prohibits this conduct if the offender is a coach, instructor, or person with disciplinary control over the minor.
The investigation results were reviewed by the Lorain County Grand Jury, and an indictment was filed charging Stephens with three counts of sexual battery.
Stephens was arrested and processed by the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office on July 21, and a $10,000 cash/surety bond was posted.
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