A former Istrouma High School student filed a lawsuit last week against the East Ïã¸ÛÁùºÍ¿ª½±ÀúÊ·¼Ç¼ Parish School Board for failing to protect her from a teacher accused of luring her into a closet and raping her.Â
The lawsuit claims the school board failed to protect the woman from Johnnie Butler, 42, a former health teacher and track coach at Istrouma High.
The lawsuit says that on May 3, 2023, Butler lured the student into a place on campus, then pulled her into a closet where he sexually assaulted and battered her.
Butler was fired from his position the same month and turned himself in to the East Ïã¸ÛÁùºÍ¿ª½±ÀúÊ·¼Ç¼ Sheriff's Office.
The lawsuit says the school board "knew or should have known that [Butler] was capable of committing sexual assault and battery and prohibited sexual conduct between an educator and student."
The lawsuit also lists the school system's Human Resources Department chief and director.
The East Ïã¸ÛÁùºÍ¿ª½±ÀúÊ·¼Ç¼ Parish School System declined to comment on the lawsuit.
According to an arrest affidavit for Butler, the victim told detectives she "froze and could not say anything because she was in a state of shock" at the time of the rape.Â
Text messages between Butler and the student, who allowed detectives to search her cellphone, showed that Butler had previously sent her suggestive messages, the affidavit says.Â
In an interview with detectives at the East Ïã¸ÛÁùºÍ¿ª½±ÀúÊ·¼Ç¼ Sheriff's headquarters in May 2023, Butler denied having any sexual encounters with the student. He admitted that before he arrived at the Sheriff's Office he deleted text messages between himself and the woman.
Security footage from the school obtained after the interview showed Butler inside the school's gym with the student at the time he had told her to meet him.Â
Butler was arrested and booked into the East Ïã¸ÛÁùºÍ¿ª½±ÀúÊ·¼Ç¼ Parish Prison on counts of third-degree rape and prohibited sexual conduct between an educator and student, according to the lawsuit.
A motion hearing for Butler is scheduled for May 16.
