Hudsonhubtimes.com - Former WRA teacher could spend five years in prison

by Lauren Krupar

Associate Editor

Hudson -- A former Western Reserve Academy teacher was sentenced to jail for five years on charges relating to communicating sexual acts over the Internet.

Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Judge Judith Kilbane-Koch sentenced Howard A. Kaplan, 58, to five years in jail and classified the former teacher as a Tier 1 sex offender -- requiring Kaplan to register with the county sheriff's office every year for 15 years.

Solon attorney William E. Gerstenslager, who represents Kaplan, could not be reached for comment.

Kaplan remains in county jail, court officials said April 29.

Kaplan was sentenced less than a month after a jury found him guilty of nine counts of importuning, all felonies and one count of possessing criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony.

He was arrested Aug. 23, 2007, at his home on the WRA campus after investigators say communicating sexual acts on the Internet with a member of the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, who he believed was a 12-year-old girl. The task force conducted the investigation and was assisted by Hudson police during the arrest.

The communications spanned more than three months from May 10, 2007, to Aug. 21, 2007, county prosecutors said.

"As a teacher living on campus, Kaplan was entrusted to both teach and protect students," Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason said. "Parents need to utilize safeguards for their children when they are using the Internet, such as putting the computer in a public space at home, as well as maintaining access to their children's e-mail and MySpace account and knowing who they talk to online."

Kaplan resigned his teaching post after the arrest, WRA Headmaster Henry E. Flanagan Jr. said.

Kaplan was a teacher at WRA from 1985 to 2002, and returned to the academy in 2006. He also taught computer science at Hudson High School during the 1984-85 school year.

E-mail: lkrupar@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3146