(EATON, Ohio) — A former Preble County deputy sheriff who served as a school resource officer was sentenced to prison today after a jury found him guilty of engaging in a sexual relationship with a student, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced.
Mason Williams, 26, of Eaton was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
“You can’t do your job of keeping kids safe at school when you lack the judgment to know that students are off-limits for sexual relationships,” Yost said. “He’s an embarrassment to the badge, and he has rightfully earned the label of sex offender.”
In November, Williams was convicted of three third-degree felonies – two counts of sexual battery and one count of tampering with evidence – after attorneys from Yost’s Special Prosecutions Section detailed an inappropriate relationship between Williams and an 18-year-old student at National Trail High School, where the deputy worked as a resource officer.
Ohio law prohibits those in a position of power from engaging in sex with a student enrolled at the school where they work, regardless of the student’s age or whether the two consider the relationship to be consensual.
After completing his prison sentence, Williams will be required to register as a sexual offender for the rest of his life.