A central Ohio elementary school janitor was recently arrested and charged with procuring child sexual abuse material.
A central Ohio elementary school janitor was recently arrested and charged with procuring child sexual abuse material.
41-year-old Rick Andermatt was arrested by Columbus police after “engaging in a sexual conversation with a minor” that led to his creation and distribution of child sexual abuse material.
Andermatt worked as the janitor at Indian Trail Elementary School when he asked a 16-year-old girl to exchange explicit photos and videos. He engaged in a “sexual texting conversation” with the young girl and proposed a plan to meet in person. According to Columbus police, the minor was not a student at the school where Andermatt was employed.
Canal Winchester Local School district released a statement regarding the abuse perpetrated by their employee: “The district placed a second-shift custodian on administrative leave effective immediately on Friday, April 25, after learning that the employee was arrested on charges of pandering sexually oriented material to a minor. The employee has been notified that they are not allowed to be on school property or attend any district events while on administrative leave.”
The school district emphasized their desire for student safety, above all. “While we understand that this matter does not involve any of our students, we take the safety and well-being of all children seriously.” Canal Winchester committed to cooperating fully with the Columbus Police Department in their investigation and following all appropriate procedures.
Andermatt has been charged with one count of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor and one count of pandering obscenity involving a minor. According to police, additional charges may be pending after the case is presented to a grand jury for possible indictment. Rick Andermatt was arraigned April 26 and bond was set at $750,085, according to court records.
Police said that the “16-year-old is safe with [her] family,” and encouraged parents to speak with their children regularly about the importance of digital safety.
Authors: Alexis Kabat and Andy Goldwasser
