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Former Athens High School teacher begins prison sentence
By: Susan Tebben
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The former Athens High School social studies teacher who pleaded guilty to sexual battery against a student reported to the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail to begin his prison sentence.
Isaac J. Thomas, 35, is currently housed in the Correctional Reception Center for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation, where new inmates are processed after entering the system. He reported to jail on March 10, where he was transferred to prison, as part of an agreement with the Athens County Prosecutor’s Office and imposed by an Athens County judge.
Thomas was arrested in February after he was brought out of Athens High School on charges of engaging in a sexual relationship with a student. The relationship was reported to have dated back to December 2013.
He pleaded guilty to a bill of information for one count of sexual battery, which is a third-degree felony. A bill of information is an explanation of charges that has not been reviewed by a grand jury.
Athens County Common Pleas Judge L. Alan Goldsberry accepted a plea agreement on Feb. 6 that called for Thomas to serve five years in prison, followed by five years of post-release control. Thomas is also required to register as a Tier II sex offender for 25 years and permanently surrender his teaching certificate as part of the agreement. Thomas will not be allowed to have contact with the victim.