A former Center Grove teacher allegedly had a sexual relationship with one of his students, communicating on social media and Google Docs, court documents show.
Drew S. Garrison, 34, of Greenwood, is charged with child seduction, a Level 6 felony. He was booked into Johnson County jail Tuesday and released on a $1,000 bond, jail records show.
In February, Center Grove Community Schools informed families that a teacher had resigned after allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a high school student. They did not identify the teacher at the time, however, court documents indicate it was Garrison.
On Feb. 7, Center Grove Police was notified that the Department of Child Services was at Center Grove High School regarding an inappropriate relationship between Garrison and a student, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Johnson Superior Court 2 filed Tuesday. During an interview with police, the student reportedly said they were in a sexual relationship with Garrison.
One of the reported sexual incidents took place near the end of January, when Garrison and the student allegedly met in a parking lot behind the student activity center. There were other incidents mentioned in the documents as well.
The student and Garrison reportedly communicated through Instagram accounts and on over 40 Google documents. Following the execution of a search warrant, CGPD was able to determine Garrison allegedly accessed the documents from his phone, according to the affidavit.
In the Google Docs, Garrison and the student reportedly referred to each other as boyfriend and girlfriend and talking about kissing and touching, the affidavit shows.
In one of the last messages, Garrison reportedly told the student about the investigation. “I’m under investigation. Delete,” he allegedly said.
Center Grove Schools said in a February statement that the teacher — now known to be Garrison — was placed on administrative leave and escorted from the building once district officials learned about the relationship. He resigned during the investigation, Interim Superintendent Bill Long said in a statement at the time.
Non-emergency help dealing with sexual assault resources is available at Franklin-based ASSIST Indiana at 317-739-4456. For a complete list of resources from the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking, visit icesaht.org/get-help/. For emergency help dealing with sexual assault call or text 911.
CORRECTION: 5:38 p.m. Tuesday
A previous version of this story listed the wrong felony level for the offense. He is charged with a Level 6 felony.
