A former Hockinson High School athletic trainer accused of engaging in an inappropriate, sexual relationship with a 16-year-old female student pleaded guilty Thursday.
Jason Meharry, 27, pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court to first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor.
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 immediately 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, ProActive Physical Therapy Specialists in Vancouver.
Meharry’s sentencing was scheduled for early November, after the completion of a pre-sentencing investigation.
State law says a person is guilty of first-degree sexual misconduct if they have sex with a 16-year-old victim who is at least five years younger, 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, among other criteria.
