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XPost: atl.general

A case of a former teacher who allegedly stalked a young girl
has Kansas authorities and community members calling for changes
to state laws.

James Loganbill, 58, a former teacher at Meadow Lane Elementary
School in Olathe, is due in court Aug. 18 on charges of reckless
stalking, FOX 4 of Kansas City, Mo., reported.

Investigators say they found 210 photos and 31 videos of the
same young girl on Loganbill’s phone and Apple iPad, with all
the images taken at the school, FOX 4 reported.

In addition, Loganbill allegedly conducted online searches on
the girl’s name 39 times, the report said.

Some of the girl’s fourth-grade classmates spoke up when they
saw him photographing the girl, Johnson County District Attorney
Steve Howe told the station.

Several photos show the girl bending over and one video shows
her lifting a leg toward her head while wearing black tights,
court documents say.

Loganbill’s attorney, Carl Cornwell, told FOX 4 last month that
he believed his client was innocent of the charges against him.

The girl said Loganbill never touched her but she was scared of
him, Howe told FOX 4. He added that a stalking charge – carrying
a maximum sentence of one year in jail -- didn’t seem adequate
to address the allegations.

“If you’re taking multiple pictures of kids who are in, wearing
clothes for the sexual desires of that individual, we don’t have
the laws under the child protection statutes to cover that type
of behavior,” Howe said.

He added that adults should do a better job of helping children
identify improper behavior.

“We need to be more consistent about educating our kids about
what’s proper behavior and what not,” Howe said. “When we
empower those kids, many times they are the ones that report
this conduct to a trusted adult.”

Loganbill was arrested and charged June 12 after resigning in
March when he initially faced the accusations. Authorities said
the photos and videos were taken between Aug. 1, 2019, and March
10 of this year.

He had taught in the school district for 31 years, FOX 4
reported.

On June 18, about 200 parents and community members held a
demonstration outside the office of the Olathe Public Schools
district, the Kansas City Star reported.

“I think everyone came out here today because they want to make
sure that this never happens to anybody else’s daughter ever
again,” Sara Hart Weir, who has known the victim's family for
years, told the newspaper.

Weir, a candidate in a U.S. House Republican primary in the
state on Aug. 4, said the community is seeking to get tougher
laws on the books.

“We send our kids to school every day thinking they’re safe and
they’re protected -- and she wasn’t," Weir told the Star.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/kansas-teacher-had-210-photos-31- videos-of-same-4th-grade-girl-authorities-say
 

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