OLATHE, KS. (THECOUNT) — Justin Adrian, the Olathe East High School social studies teacher and recently resigned Ward III Shawnee city councilman, is now facing allegations that he had a felony unlawful sexual relationship with a teenage student.
Adrian, 33, who was once called the “new face” of Shawnee city politics, was charged on Tuesday in an investigation that began at the high school on Sept. 10, say Johnson County prosecutors.
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Adrian, who is openly gay, was/is a rising star in local Democratic politics. In 2016, he served as a Hillary delegate at the Democratic National Convention, and in 2017 he was elected to the city council. source
Adrian has been charged with unlawful sexual relations, a felony, in Johnson County. Court documents say the alleged incident occurred with an Olathe East student older than 16 at the school on Sept. 7. source
Adrian was the Ward 3 councilman in Shawnee, sworn into office in January of this year. He resigned on Sept.12, effective immediately, and gave the following letter to the governing body:
“Out of respect for the city of Shawnee and the city councilmember position I have proudly held for eight months, I have reluctantly and respectfully made the decision to resign from my position as City Councilmember, Ward III effective immediately upon notice.
“I greatly thank the city of Shawnee for their kind words of support and I also would like to thank my constituents for their support during the election and after being sworn in.”
Adrian was a social studies teacher at the high school. Olathe East sent this letter to parents earlier this month:
“Dear Olathe East parents,
“I wanted to make you aware that Mr. Adrian, your child’s Social Studies teacher, will not be returning to Olathe East. We have an outstanding substitute in place currently and will be looking to name a permanent teacher as quickly as possible. Our substitute will be working closely with our Social Studies chair, and I am confident that students will have an excellent remainder to the 2018-19 school year. Once we have named a permanent teacher, we will communicate that information to you.
“We are committed to working with our students and staff to make the transition as smooth as possible. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.
“Kerry Lane, Principal”
Adrian’s bond has been set at $250,000, and he’s due in court at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.