Plea hearing set for former Olathe teacher accused of having sex with student
At a Tuesday morning preliminary hearing, a plea hearing was set for a former Olathe Northwest High School teacher and coach accused of having sex with a 17-year-old student.
Steven Mesa, 47, will appear by video again for the hearing in Johnson County District Court at 9 a.m. on April 3.
Mesa attended the brief hearing over Zoom alongside his attorney, Michael Duma, who asked that his client’s GPS ankle monitor be removed while he’s out on bond. Mesa works in a warehouse, he said, and the monitor is impairing his ability to do his job. House arrest was previously removed for Mesa in court on Oct. 26.
“It’s cumbersome; it’s cold,” Duma said. “He’d like to spend Christmas and New Year’s with his children without that on his ankle.”
Judge Michael Joyce denied Mesa’s request.
Mesa is facing three counts of unlawful sexual relations after the Olathe Police Department was notified on Aug. 26 about a possible sexual relationship between a teacher and student.
According to an affidavit filed in Johnson County Court, detectives then met with the student, who initially denied having sexual intercourse with Mesa. She later alleged that, toward the end of July, she started to have sexual encounters with Mesa, including intercourse. The student claimed to have sexual intercourse with Mesa several times, including both at his home and at the high school.
Police contacted Mesa, who, the affidavit said, declined to provide a statement.
Mesa was a high school teacher for the duration of his employment with the Olathe district, and most recently a head wrestling coach. He also worked as an assistant baseball coach last year.
The accused teacher worked for the Olathe district from 2001 until his termination on Sept. 1.
The Star’s Sarah Ritter contributed to the reporting of this story.