HANOVER TWP., MI – Johnnie Stewart “more likely than not” had a sexual relationship with Angela Sturgill when she was his student, an independent investigator has found.

Stewart, a Hanover-Horton teacher and coach, was accused in June of grooming and starting a sexual relationship with Sturgill when she was his student in the late 1990s. He was placed on leave after the accusations and the district hired Diane Fenby to conduct an independent investigation.

The investigation also shows a pattern of inappropriate behavior by Stewart, including telling one student she had “an ass a grown woman would die for.” In another instance, he invited a female student to his house because he said his wife was out of town and he was lonely, according to the investigation, which was obtained by the MLive/Jackson Citizen Patriot via the Freedom of Information Act on Friday, Aug. 30.

Stewart, by law, is suspended with pay after the Hanover-Horton School Board voted to begin the process of firing him Monday, Aug. 26. He has 20 days to appeal the vote.

The investigation concluded Aug. 16.

Stewart denies having a sexual relationship with Sturgill and he never met her outside of school, he told Fenby. Stewart’s attorney, Kevin Roragen, said previously that “Stewart absolutely denies the allegations.”

But the evidence Fenby found throughout the course of her investigation showed that that there likely was a sexual relationship, according to the report.

Sturgill previously told MLive/Jackson Citizen Patriot that she would meet Stewart on a back road and get in his truck. He would bring alcohol, they would drink and talk and then have sex.

They never had sex on school grounds, but there would be kissing and other sexual interactions behind locked doors at the high school, Sturgill said previously.

Sturgill filed a complaint with the Michigan State Police against Stewart on Dec. 3, 2018. Jackson County Prosecutor Jerry Jarzynka’s office declined to pursue charges May 3. Jarzynka said the allegations couldn’t likely be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and the statute of limitations had expired.

Sturgill’s senior yearbook has a note that Stewart said appears to be in his handwriting, the report said. But he does not remember writing it and he could not have written it because the word “Love” is in cursive and he doesn’t write in cursive, he told the investigator.

Part of the note says “(I) have enjoyed watching you mature into a beautiful woman,” according to a copy of the page provided by Sturgill’s attorney. The note goes on to say “It’s no secret that you will always have a place in my heart. You mean far more to me than perhaps you know.”

A common theme throughout the interviews Fenby conducted was that no one was surprised by the allegations, and it was well known that Stewart and Sturgill were a couple, the investigation said.

Stewart was treated more like a peer than a teacher by students in the beginning of his career, the investigation said.

Students commonly called him “Stew” and he would bring cases of beer to parties, providing alcohol to minors, the investigation said.

“The report released today is a complete vindication of Angela Sturgill's brave decision to stand up to a popular football coach,” Sturgill’s attorney Sara Prescott said. “Mr. Stewart has preyed on young girls unchecked and in the open for too long, and he must never teach or coach anyone ever again.”

The report is not legal proof of any wrongdoing by Stewart, Roragen said.

“The investigation report is not evidence, and any statements contained in it are not admissible as proof of anything," Roragen said Friday. “These issues must ultimately be proved by competent and admissible evidence in a tenure proceeding. This is a pending and unresolved legal matter, and as such we will have no further comments about any allegations."

Fenby spoke with more than a dozen Hanover-Horton alumni, parents of current students, district employees and community members to compile the seven-page investigation.

The investigation found recent comments from Stewart likely created a “sexually charged hostile environment,” which “denies or limits the ability of some students, specifically female students, to participate in or benefit from the educational program(s) offered by the district.”

Alleged relationship with exchange student

The investigation also details an alleged relationship between Stewart and a German exchange student.

Nate VanEpps, a 2000 graduate, told Fenby he had dated the exchange student before breaking up before Spring Break. The pair had remained friendly, and VanEpps said he found the student crying and asked what was wrong.

The exchange student alleged Stewart had taken her to "check out a modeling thing," they'd stayed in a hotel together and Stewart took photos of her on the hood of his truck.

After VanEpps told Stewart to "'leave high school girls alone,'" VanEpps said Stewart told him to keep it quiet and that he'd "kick his ass" if he let it get out. VanEpps said he didn't tell anyone about it for several years.

Stewart denies taking the exchange student anywhere, staying in a hotel and taking photos of her, the investigation said. Stewart also denies VanEpps ever approached him about a relationship with a student.

'I can't wait until you turn 18'

Another incident detailed in the report is from 2015. The then-junior at the time, reported Stewart for comments he made to her. MLive/Jackson Citizen Patriot has agreed not to name the now graduated student.

"(The former student) states that Mr. Stewart approached her while she was sitting on the bleachers and commented that he could not wait until she turned 18 because of all he could legally do sexually with her," the report states.

Stewart alleges the then-student was coming late to weight training class and leaving early.

"He stated that he remembers exactly what he said to her," the report states. "He told me he said, 'How old are you, when do you turn 18?' Then after she replied when she would turn 18, said 'I can't wait until you turn 18 so I can put you in a head lock and knock some sense into you.'"

The student spoke with a teacher, the middle school principal and high school principal about the issue, but there is no documentation of the complaint. The school's only action was to replace Stewart as her National Honor Society sponsor.

The office couch

Stewart put a couch in his office after the school gym was renovated. The former superintendent had the couch removed, a district maintenance employee told Fenby.

Stewart replaced the couch, saying he wasn't sure who had taken the previous couch.

The couch was necessary, Stewart said, as his office was used for staff meetings and often used as the hub for game officials, the report states.

While Stewart maintains he's always had an open-door policy to his office, although a former assistant principal told Fenby he recalled trying to enter Stewart's office, but it was closed and locked with a female student inside.

Nothing inappropriate was happening when Stewart opened the door, per the report. Stewart does not recall the incident or the subsequent staff meeting when the issue was allegedly addressed, he said in the report.

Other comments reported to investigator

Fenby received "numerous" calls and emails from people regarding the investigation during her six weeks of preparing the report. Many were from female graduates or parents with daughters currently in the district.

This is a partial list of such comments reported to Fenby.

“You have an ass that a grown woman would die for.”

When spotting a female student doing a squat with a heavy weight, Mr. Stewart whispered in her ear, “I could make your legs shake like that.”

When dropping a paper off to Mr. Stewart’s office a female student states that he asked her in the presence of another male teacher, if she was a virgin.

When instructing a female student who was lifting, “…don’t just lift the bar to here, lift it to your nipples…”

When several female students were not doing something in class Mr. Stewart told them, “Go work on your booties, don’t all you girls want bigger booties”.

Mr. Stewart had a female student who was wearing short gym shorts bend over in front of the class with her behind facing the class so he could use her back as a desk.

Mr. Stewart contacted a student and told her he had and award for her but she needed to come to his home to pick it up.

Mr. Stewart sent a text to a student inviting her to come over to his house because his wife was out of town and he was lonely.

Fenby shared all of the comments with Stewart – who "denied ever saying or doing any of these things," per the report.

Some comments sent to Fenby about Stewart were positive, the report states. One former female teacher aide said she never felt uncomfortable or intimidated near Stewart, while the woman who babysat his children said Stewart was "like a Dad to her."

Go to the Hanover-Horton Schools website to view the full investigation report, most recent letter sent to families in the district, the resolution of the board to file tenure charges and the charges themselves.