CROWN POINT, Ind. — A former longtime Crown Point High School teacher, who ran the theatre department, is pleading guilty to child seduction.
Christopher “Kit” Degenhart, 51, entered guilty plea last Thursday to child seduction involving sexual intercourse, a level 5 felony. As a result of the plea agreement, the state will drop the other child seduction charge, which was a level 6 felony.
Degenhart taught at Crown Point High School beginning in 1995 and ran the theatre department for several years.
Last July, he was arrested after the victim, a 17-year-old at the time who was a former student of his, reported the incidents to her therapist.
According to court documents, Degenhart began emailing the girl in early 2020 using a non-school private email address.
The student began meeting him before school frequently beginning in Feb. 2020.
From Feb. 2020 until the school closed for the COVID-19 pandemic in March, documents state Degenhart and the girl utilized the theatre department’s booth, which is secluded and houses the sound board and lighting, between “40 to 50 times for sexual purposes.”
In a conversation, documents state Degenhart “probed her about the timing of events” and made it clear he wanted to wait until she turned 18 for sexual intercourse.
Documents state that happened through Aug. 2020 when Degenhart’s wife discovered he had been emailing the victim.
During an interview at the Crown Point Police Department, Degenhart told a detective his “memory is murky from being 50 years old and doing a lot of disgusting things.” He then said he was not going to refute what the victim told police.
Degenhart’s sentencing is set for July 25.