Sentencing hearing moved for former teacher

November 4, 2013 at 1:45p.m.

youngstown

The victim of sexual battery by her Boardman High School teacher was not happy on Monday morning after the teacher’s sentencing hearing was moved to Dec. 4.

“I’ve been waiting for this forever, so I am extremely upset,” the 22-year-old victim said in the Mahoning County Courthouse.

Joseph Cleghorn, 34, of Boardman is charged with sexual battery, a felony offense. In September, Cleghorn pleaded guilty to a bill of information and his sentencing was scheduled for Nov. 4, but sentencing was continued Monday morning.

“I asked for it because of some legal issues,” said Ron Yarwood, Cleghorn’s defense attorney.

Cleghorn is accused of having a sexual relationship with the victim from 2007 to 2009 while he was an English teacher at Boardman.

The victim went to police in March and told them about the consensual, sexual relationship she had with Cleghorn while she was a student. She was 16 when the relationship became sexual.

The victim came forward to report what happened because she wanted to prevent it from happening to another student, according to the police report.

Cleghorn’s sentencing will be at 11 a.m. Dec. 4 before Judge D’Apolito in County Common Pleas court.