A former Hockinson High School athletic trainer who engaged in an inappropriate, sexual relationship with a 16-year-old female student was sentenced Monday to nine months in jail.
Jason Meharry, 27, previously pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court to first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor.
Meharry’s defense attorney, Bob Vukanovich, pointed out that state law says a person is guilty of first-degree sexual misconduct if the person abuses a supervisory position they have over a victim younger than 18, or if the person is a school employee and has sex with an underage student.
He argued that Meharry was not a school employee; he worked under contract through his employer, ProActive Physical Therapy Specialists, so the question came down to whether Meharry had a supervisory position over the girl.
Vukanovich said if Meharry had met the girl outside of school, he wouldn’t be in court. He said Meharry “made a bad decision.”
According to court records, Meharry worked under contract as a sports trainer at the high school, treating student athletes in need of physical therapy.
He had an office inside the school and acted “in a supervisory role and adviser at Hockinson High School when overseeing students requiring medical attention,” court records state.
Meharry started dating the student in December, he told investigators, and brought the girl to his apartment four times, during which they had sexual contact, court records say.
School administrators placed Meharry on leave March 23 after hearing about the possibility of inappropriate conduct. They also contacted the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and notified his employer.
When it came time to be sentenced, Meharry declined to make a statement to the court.
In addition to the jail time, Meharry must register as a sex offender for 10 years and undergo a sexual deviancy evaluation and any necessary treatment.
