Former teacher found guilty of Internet sex crimes

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by Dorothy Markulis

Reporter

Hudson -- A former Western Reserve Academy math teacher was found guilty April 1 of communicating sexual acts on the Internet with what he thought was a 12-year-old girl, according to Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason.

A jury found Howard A. Kaplan, 58, guilty on eight counts of importuning, second-degree felonies; one count of importuning, a third-degree felony; and one count of possessing criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony.

Andrea Ball, an information coordinator with Mason's office, said closing arguments in the case before Judge Judith Kilbane-Koch concluded at 12:30 p.m. She said the jury returned with a verdict at 5 p.m.

Kaplan's attorney, William E. Gerstenlager, declined to comment on the verdict.

Kaplan was arrested Aug. 23, 2007, by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department, assisted by the Hudson Police Department, and charged with communicating sexual acts on the Internet with what be believed to be a 12-year-old girl from May 10, 2007 to Aug. 21, 2007, according to Mason.

The 12-year-old was actually a member of the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Kaplan was arrested at the home he shared with his wife on the WRA campus.

According to WRA Headmaster Henry E. Flanagan Jr., he accepted Kaplan's resignation after the arrest.

Ball said sentencing will be April 29 at 9 a.m. before Judge Kilbane-Koch.

According to court records, Kaplan is free on bond until his sentencing.

According to the prosecutor's office, the penalty for a second-degree felony ranges from two to eight years in prison.

The penalty for a third-degree felony ranges from one to five years in prison.

The penalty for a fifth-degree felony ranges from probation to eight years in prison.

E-mail: dmarkulis@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3143