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Former Oak Grove teacher charged with stalking, attempting to make sexual contact with student

Ethan Grumke.jpg
Posted at 3:01 PM, Aug 13, 2021
and last updated 2021-08-14 05:49:56-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A former Oak Grove High School teacher has been charged with first- and second-degree stalking and attempting to make sexual contact with a student, including a juvenile.

Ethan C. Grumke, 27, also faces two counts of furnishing pornographic material or attempting to furnish to a minor, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday.

Court documents state that between Dec. 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021, Grumke allegedly sent videos to students through Snapchat and requested that nude photos be sent in return.

He also allegedly sent electronic messages to an Oak Grove High School student “requesting that [redacted] have sex with him,” court documents state.

Additionally, Grumke posted “inappropriate videos and pictures” to his Instagram and Snapchat accounts, which court documents state “would have caused a reasonable person under the circumstances to be frightened, intimidated, or emotionally distressed.”

The Missouri Children’s Division contacted Oak Grove police in May regarding Grumke. Police then contacted district leaders, who conducted an internal investigation in which Grumke allegedly admitted to sending a pornographic video to female students, according to a probable cause statement.

The Oak Grove School District confirmed in a statement that it conducted the investigation and "removed the staff member from any contact with students."

"Prior to employment, all Oak Grove employees must complete, and successfully pass, a background check and proper work history investigations," the statement said.

Grumke no longer works for the Oak Grove School District, and has moved to Colorado “in attempt to pursue another teaching job,” according to the probable cause statement.

Grumke was a math teacher at the high school and also coached varsity football and varsity track and field.

The Durango-Herald reported in February that Grumke had been hired as the head football coach at Bayfied High School in the Bayfield School District. However, he never began coaching and the Colorado newspaper reported in June that he had resigned from the post.

The Oak Grove School District said in its statement they are not aware of any other students who "have been harmed by these actions." However, if anyone has information related to the charges against Grumke they are asked to contact the district or the Oak Grove Police Department.

One concerned mother who wished to remain anonymous shared with KSHB 41 News how pleased she was with the charges being filed against Grumke at this time, and hopes other predators see this as warning.

"I'm glad justice was served for these girls whichever way they may have wanted it. So just to know that he’s being held responsible for what he did," the mother who wished to stay anonymous said. "It's probably a big thing for these families, and him being caught, other teachers will be caught the same way."

However as a warning to parents, in an age where teenagers are becoming more active on social media, technology expert Burton Kelso advises that parents should closely monitor their child's social media no matter their age.

"It doesn’t matter if they’re in middle school or in high school," Kelso said. "They need to get their hands on their kids devices to monitor what is going on, and that's not just glancing at apps but that means going in and seeing what type of correspondence they are having with people on social media."

For jurisdictions that utilize the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline, anonymous tips can be made by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com.

Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.