Shawnee Mission elementary school teacher charged with child sex crime
A teacher in the Shawnee Mission School District has been charged with having sexual contact with a minor.
Kim Zier, who worked at Pawnee Elementary School before being placed on leave, is charged in Johnson County District Court with one count of aggravated indecent liberties involving a child.
The charges say Zier, 63, is accused of engaging in “lewd fondling or touching” of a child under the age of 14. The incident allegedly occurred Jan. 28.
Prosecutors filed the charges Monday and Zier was arrested the same day. He was released from the county jail Tuesday after posting bond.
The bond amount decreased from $100,000 to $25,000 after Zier’s attorney, Thomas Lemon, filed a motion asking the court for a bond reduction.
The motion argued in part that Zier is “of an age with one or more risk factors for COVID-19” and has several medical conditions which require medication. “He (Zier) believes he is safer at home, while monitored, than in custody,” Lemon’s motion stated.
Lemon could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday night.
The motion also indicated that Zier has been a teacher for 41 years, serving 31 of those years with the Shawnee Mission School District.
David Smith, a school district spokesman, said in an email that Zier, who taught fifth-grade students at Pawnee Elementary, has been placed on administrative leave.
“We take student safety very seriously, and have fully cooperated with the police in their investigation,” Smith wrote. “Due to the on-going investigation, we are unable to provide any additional comment at this time.”
Zier is scheduled to appear in court again April 22.
