KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A former Olathe elementary school teacher has been found guilty of stalking one of his fourth-grade students.
James Loganbill, 58, who taught at Meadow Lane Elementary School, was charged last June in Johnson County Court with one count of stalking.
Charging documents state that between Aug. 1, 2019, and March 10, 2020, he took several photos and videos of a female student. Detectives located 31 videos and more than 200 photos of the girl on Loganbill’s electronic devices, according to an affidavit.
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The girl’s friends reported to the principal that they had seen Loganbill taking “inappropriate pictures of her backside anytime she wasn’t looking,” according to Kristyn Antonucci, the girl’s mother.
Penalties related to the case have been a point of contention in the courts due to how Kansas’ stalking statute is phrased. Upon learning that punishment for stalking a minor is only a misdemeanor, the Antonucci family advocated for a change in statute, going so far as to establish a nonprofit to raise awareness.
Gov. Laura Kelly signed into law earlier this year a bill that increased the penalty for stalking a minor from a misdemeanor to a felony.
“The fact that this law was not a felony? It's just incredible," Kelly said in May. "And so now it is, and it's where it should be."
Loganbill will be sentenced on Nov. 3.
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