Judge releases former Harding teacher sentenced for sexual contact with student
A judge has released a former Warren G. Harding teacher who's been in prison since November.
A judge has released a former Warren G. Harding teacher who's been in prison since November.
Judge Ronald Rice on Thursday granted 26-year-old Eric Kline's request for judicial release.
Kline has been serving the year-and-a-half-long sentence in the Richland Correctional Institution since November 29 after he was found guilty of engaging in sexual conduct with one of his students at Harding.
The Newton Falls man was found guilty of sexual battery, a third-degree felony, by a Trumbull County jury.
As conditions for Kline's release, Judge Rice placed him on probation for five years, ordered him to report to his probation officer every day unless he gets a job. He must also write two letters of apology, each one containing 250 words or more.
Kline is also prohibited from teaching for the rest of his life and must register as a sex offender.
Without the judicial release, Kline would have remained in prison until April 26, 2020.
The Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office had filed an objection to Kline's early release.