BENTONVILLE — A former choir teacher was placed on probation and ordered never to work as a teacher again after he pleaded guilty to having sex with one of his former students.
Ethan Wells, 29, pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexual assault under a plea agreement Alison Lee, Wells’ attorney, reached with Tim McDonald, deputy prosecutor.
Wells apologized for his actions. “I made a mistake,” he said. “I’m here accepting responsibility.”
He said he wanted to show he can do the right thing and understands his actions had consequences on the victim, his family and the community.
Wells, who was a choir teacher at Siloam Springs Middle School, was arrested Feb. 23.
The investigation started after the mother of one of Wells’ former students reported to police a sexual relationship between her son and Wells, according to a probable cause affidavit.
McDonald said Wells used his position of trust and authority to have sex with the student.
Siloam Springs Superintendent Jody Wiggins said the district received information alleging inappropriate activity by a secondary level teacher during the 2021-22 school year. He said the district notified local law enforcement and filed a report with the Department of Human Services hotline.
The mother said her son was 18 years old at the time, but he hadn’t graduated from high school, according to the affidavit.
The former student said he met Wells in the eighth grade when Wells was his choir teacher, the affidavit states.
The student said he and Wells started texting each other and became close friends, the affidavit states. He said Wells became his mentor, but his senior year he started having feelings for Wells, according to the affidavit.
The former student said after he turned 18, he told Wells in April 2022 how he felt about him; Wells told the student he also had feelings for him, according to the affidavit.
The former student said he and Wells engaged in a sex act twice at school, according to the affidavit. He said their relationship lasted from April 11 to June 23, 2022, and after graduation, he realized what occurred between Wells and himself was wrong, according to the affidavit.
The former student and law enforcement were in favor of the plea agreement, McDonald said.
He read a statement on behalf of the student in which he said he’s spent thousands of dollars on therapy and was afraid to leave his home because he thought he may see Wells.
“And while I’m on the way to being OK, I know I am going to be affected by this for the rest of my life,” he said in his statement. “Still, I’m moving on, succeeding and telling the stories that matter. My story matters. Thank you to the court for hearing my story. May we all be so lucky.”
Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green described the agreement as lenient and said she was accepting it since it is the wish of the victim.
Wells was placed on six years state supervised probation. He’ll have to register as a sex offender and must complete a sex offender treatment program.
The judge ordered Wells not to have any contact with the former student, and he’s prohibited from having unsupervised contact with any minors.
McDonald said Wells is prohibited from teaching since he’s a registered sex offender.
Wells was earning $53,213 in his teaching position last school year, according to Siloam Springs School District documents.