Former Evansville pre-K teacher pleads guilty to child molesting

EVANSVILLE — A former pre-kindergarten teacher who stood accused of molesting two students in Evansville pleaded guilty Tuesday, nixing the prospect of a jury trial in the case.

The former teacher, 22-year-old Joshua Brandon Leduc, faced charges of child seduction and three counts of child molesting across two criminal cases, according to Vanderburgh County court records.

Those cases were joined, and a trial had been scheduled to begin this week. The proceedings were called off on Friday when Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Audrey Beckerle and Leduc's defense attorney, Barry Blackard, informed the court both sides had reached an agreement.

Leduc formally pleaded guilty Tuesday, court filings show, but the terms of the agreement were not listed in public court records as of Tuesday afternoon.

Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Diana Moers could not immediately be reached for comment. Blackard declined to comment.

Leduc previously worked as a pre-kindergarten teacher at Bethel United Church of Christ's "Bethel Buddies" preschool. According to lead Pastor Samuel Buehrer, the school contacted the Vanderburgh County Department of Child Services in August 2022 after surveillance footage showed Leduc had sexually assaulted a 4-year-old student.

The Evansville Police Department took up the investigation, which quickly culminated in Leduc's arrest.

While Leduc was out on bond in that case, officers arrested him a second time in February 2023 after a 6-year-old former Bethel Buddies student said Leduc had touched her inappropriately while she built a puzzle in his classroom, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

The allegations spurred changes to Bethel United Church of Christ's approach to classroom safety. Buehrer told the Courier & Press last year that the school installed additional cameras in classrooms and reorganized school furniture that could be used to evade the cameras' field of view.

"It's painful when these things happen; you never wish them to happen on your watch," Buehrer said in February 2023. "We're just praying for everybody and praying for justice in this case."

Houston can be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com