In a recent court ruling on Tuesday, Judge Gina Jones handed down a four-year sentence for child seduction to Christopher “Kit” Degenhart, a 51-year-old former theater teacher at Crown Point High School. Degenhart’s arrest occurred in July 2022, stemming from two charges of child seduction.

As part of a plea agreement reached on May 30, Degenhart pled guilty to one count of child seduction, which is classified as a level five felony. The second charge, a level six felony, was dropped following the sentencing.

During the court proceedings, Degenhart confirmed that he does not intend to appeal his conviction. As a result of the sentencing, he will spend a year in Lake County Community Corrections, six months in Kimbrough Community Corrections, and undergo two and a half years of probation.

In her statement, one of the victims described theater as her sanctuary during high school. And over time, she developed a close relationship with Degenhart. Their interactions escalated from personal emails to meetings before, during, and after school, as mentioned in the probable cause affidavit.

Though they engaged in physical contact such as kissing and hugging, they did not have sexual relations until the victim turned 18, according to Degenhart’s statement to the police. Judge Jones noted that this appeared to be a deliberate choice on Degenhart’s part.

Degenhart admitted to having been involved in four affairs at the high school, one with a colleague and three with former students. He revealed that these relationships occurred separately between 2005 and 2007, 2009 and 2011, and the most recent incident in 2020.

Another former student, now 36, testified before the court about her relationship with Degenhart, which turned physical after she graduated. She described the “relationship” lasting for two and a half years before she eventually distanced herself from him. However, she found herself in contact with him again when he came under investigation by the school district. She claimed that he coached her on what to say and threatened suicide if she didn’t cover for him.

Before the sentencing, Degenhart expressed remorse for the pain he caused and attributed his actions to a sex addiction. He stated that he sought treatment and therapy for this addiction beginning in August 2020. However, Judge Jones emphasized that referring to his actions as affairs or a result of addiction downplayed the predatory nature of his behavior.

This story originally appeared in the Times of Northwest Indiana by Caitlyn Rosen on July 26th, 2023. Portions of this article were generated using artificial intelligence.