Convicted former Tazewell County teacher faces minimum of 193 years in prison

Mar. 26—By GREG JORDAN

Bluefield Daily Telegraph

TAZEWELL, Va. — Techniques a former teacher convicted of child pornography charges used for gaining the trust of students was like a handbook for grooming young girls for sexual abuse, the Tazewell County Commonwealth's Attorney said Monday.

John Michael Sharpe, who formerly taught at Tazewell Middle School and Tazewell High School, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 193 years in prison and a maximum of 605 years after a circuit court jury convicted him of multiple charges including enticing a minor to p J. Christopher Plaster said during a press conference at the Tazewell County Courthouse.

Sharpe was convicted in Tazewell County Circuit Court of one count of enticing a minor to perform in pornography, age 15 or older, with the offender being seven plus years older than the minor.

That charge carries a three-year mandatory minimum sentence in prison, Plaster said. Sharpe was further convicted of 19 counts of enticing a minor to perform in pornography, age 15 or older, with the offender being seven-plus years older than the minor, second or subsequent offense.

"Each of these 19 counts carries a 10-year mandatory minimum period of incarceration," Plaster said. "Finally, John Michael Sharpe was convicted of one count of using electronic means for procuring minors for obscene materials. In total, John Michael Sharp faces a minimum active sentence of 193 years in the Virginia Department of Corrections and up to 605 years in prison."

Sharpe was found guilty March 22 before Circuit Court Judge Richard Patterson. Sentencing has been scheduled on June 18 and he is being held in the regional jail system.

The investigation started in December 2021. The contact and grooming behavior started in May 2021.

Sheriff Brian Hieatt thanked the victim for having the courage to come forward and testify in court.

"I also want to thank my staff for all the hard work and the hundreds of hours that went into working on this case and developing a solid case against John Sharpe," Hieatt said.

"Lastly but certainly not least, I want to thank our Commonwealth's Attorney Chris Plaster and his amazing staff in preparing everyone for this case," Hieatt said. "Truly this is a team effort and should send a clear message. If you are in a position of trust with our children and you violate that trust, we will come for you."

Plaster also thanked the victim for her courage and fortitude while testifying in court. A second victim came forward as well to testify. New charges based on her statements could come at a later date.

"She was amazing throughout this process, a process that is typically not very kind to victims in these types of cases," he said of the first victim." As we told her in preparation for the trial, she was going to be attacked by the defense, and, unfortunately, she was. Yet, she not only endured the attacks, but she maintained her composure and told her story with integrity."

"But, not just the victim in this case, but also the second young lady that came forward and testified that John Michael Sharpe had, in essence, perpetrated the exact same crimes against her and used the exact same techniques to induce and solicit her into the same types of activities," Plaster said. "Both victims demonstrated unbelievable strength and resilience and, while they are unquestionably victims of John Michael Sharp they are also really the true heroes of this story."

Both victims testified about the techniques that Sharpe used to gain their trust, Plaster said, adding that these techniques "read like a handbook on how to groom young girls for purposes of sexual abuse."

"As the Commonwealth's evidence showed, John Sharpe would gain access to these young girls via their cellphones, eventually using Snap Chat as his preferred way to contact his victims," Plaster said. "John Sharpe would become their friend, discuss their personal lives with them, including their boyfriends and their romantic lives, purchase them gifts, compliment them, then as the grooming behavior continued and advanced, he would make inappropriate comments, suggestive in nature, and eventually solicit nude photos from his underage students."

Plaster urged juveniles, parents, teachers and administrators to contact him if they suspect a child is being approached on social media or any other means by a sexual predator.

"If you are a child and you hear this and, if anyone is soliciting you over social media for photographs, or they are suggesting anything of a sexual or inappropriate nature to you, please tell someone," Plaster said. "Please tell your parents, a teacher that you trust, your school counselor, a police officer, or any other adult that you trust. There are people that know how to help you and will help you."

"If you are a teacher or school administrator here in Tazewell County and you have seen something that seems inappropriate or odd to you about a teacher/student relationship, please report it. This type of behavior cannot be allowed, and, if it is anything that can be substantiated, I assure you that it will not go unpunished," Plaster said. "In fact, if you see something, or you know something that is not right about a teacher/student relationship, you are welcome to call my office and meet with me in person. My office number is 276-385-1240."

Sheriff Hieatt said he appreciated how Tazewell County Schools cooperated during the investigation.

"I know there has been a lot of questions surrounding a witness who testified about an incident many years ago and I would like to remind everyone that when those incidents occurred there was a different administration in place at the school and school system," Hieatt said.

Plaster also thanked Sheriff Hieatt and the Tazewell County Sheriff's Office for the handling the investigation.

"In particular, I would like to Detective Sgt. Michelle Conklin, Detective Lt. Mike Hall and Major Harold Heatley for their outstanding work and dedication to this case. I would also like to thank Christie Marshall, formerly of the Sheriff s Office for her continued work on this case," Plaster said. "My office is very fortunate to be able to work alongside the fine men and women of our Sheriff s Office every day. My office is blessed to be part of the Tazewell County law enforcement team.

"I would like to thank Angie Boyd and Teresa Layne from our Victim Witness Assistance Program for all that they did in preparation for the trial and throughout the trial to help ensure that everything ran smoothly," Plaster said. "I would like to thank Jessica Gunter, Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney, and Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Brandon Goins, for assisting me in trying the case. Needless to say, their assistance was invaluable."

"In my time in office, we have set a hierarchy for how we prioritizes cases; and the most important thing that we can do as prosecutors is protect the children of Tazewell County. That will always be the number one priority of my office," Plaster said. "In fact, just last month our office secured one mandatory life sentence for a child predator from a jury verdict, and another six mandatory life sentences for a second child predator who was found guilty during a bench trial. This type of abhorrent behavior absolutely will not be tolerated. Our children must be protected and we will do everything within our power to ensure that they will be protected."

Sharpe once taught at McDowell County Schools, but Plaster said his office had not heard any reports from the McDowell County school system.

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com

Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com