Garrison
A former Center Grove teacher will serve 3.5 years in prison for having an inappropriate relationship with a student.
Drew S. Garrison, 35, was convicted of child seduction, a Level 6 felony, and invasion of privacy, a Class A misdemeanor, by Johnson Superior Court 2 Judge Peter Nugent on Friday. The Fountaintown man, formerly of Greenwood, was sentenced the same day in both cases, according to online court records.
For the child seduction case, he was sentenced to a total of 2.5 years in prison, and was required to not only register as a sex offender but also to surrender his teaching license. For the invasion of privacy case, Garrison was sentenced to an additional year on active probation during which he will have to follow special sex offender terms and conditions. A no-contact order will remain in effect for the victim throughout the duration of both sentences, which are set consecutively to one another, according to the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office.
Garrison received the maximum amount of time allowed under the law in each of the cases, prosecutors say.
Both cases stem from the same reported inappropriate relationship, which came to light in February when Center Grove Community Schools informed families that a teacher had resigned after having an inappropriate relationship with a student. The investigation was conducted by Sgt. David Beasley of the Center Grove Police Department, prosecutors say.
Garrison was formally charged in April. Court documents show he and one of his students had a sexual relationship, communicating on social media and Google Docs. Several sexual incidents were mentioned in court documents.
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 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 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, Superintendent Bill Long said in a statement at the time.
After charges were filed, Garrison violated the no-contact order by indirectly contacting the victim, leading to the filing of additional charges in July.
Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner is pleased with the sentence, he said in a news release.
“I am disgusted to see a man — a teacher —who was entrusted by parents to safeguard their children, behave in this manner. For this he received the maximum sentence under the law,” Hamner said. “Judge Nugent’s sentence sends a clear message to individuals who are in a position of trust over young people: if you abuse the sacred trust between teacher and student, you will go to prison. We don’t tolerate that here.”
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.
