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digg itThere has to be a separation of incidents such as this, where an adult has this type of relationship from two kids (students). The state has to look at the law that could possibly charge a student(minor) that turns 18 while in High School and has sex with an underclass female/male with the same penalty of law as a 31 year old teacher or adult in the community. This person made wrong decisions and put his career and family in jeopardy. However, when you have two students, classmates and TEENS that make wrong choices as it relates to having a sexual encounter, the laws have to separate criminal intent/actions from two kids making wrong choices. It’s a shame that an 18 year old High School senior and classmate may face the same criminal charges and future as a 31 year old teacher. Laws have to be changed!
Former teacher facing sex charges
Wed Sep 12, 2007 - 03:47 PM
By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff
An agriculture teacher and FFA adviser at Fort Chiswell High School has resigned after being charged with having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old female student. Jason Andrew Hounshell, 31, of Wytheville was arrested Tuesday afternoon on two felony charges and one misdemeanor charge.
According to Maj. M.L. Alderman of the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, his department obtained the felony warrants against Hounshell for taking indecent liberties with a child at a residence in Pulaski County on two separate occasions in July. He said the girl is a student at Fort Chiswell High School.
Wythe County Sheriff Doug King said Hounshell has been charged with one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor following an incident in Wythe County in July. He said a recent tip alleging Hounshell, who is married, was having an inappropriate relationship with a student led to an investigation last week.
King said investigators from his office uncovered evidence of the alleged affair and of two incidents in Pulaski County. His investigators then contacted the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, which sent an investigator to Wythe County.
The two offices, Sheriff King said, worked throughout the day Tuesday developing evidence leading to Hounshell’s arrest later in the evening. Both offices report their investigation is ongoing with possibly more charges to follow since they believe the relationship covers a significant period of time.
Hounshell is a 1994 graduate of Rural Retreat High School and a 1998 graduate of Virginia Tech. He has been employed with Wythe County Public Schools as a teacher for nine years with a current salary of $40,000 a year.
Wythe County School Superintendent Albert S. Armentrout said Wednesday morning that Hounshell had resigned his position.
“We do not condone this alleged behavior,” Armentrout said.
FCHS Principal Brett Booher declined comment on the charges. He referred the issue to the superintendent.
Hounshell was released Tuesday on an $8,000 unsecured bond. As part of his release agreement, he is to have no contact with the female.
In bond paperwork, it said that the accused (Hounshell) “states that he is very sorry and remorseful about any unwise decisions that he has made in this situation.”
A preliminary trial date on the Wythe County misdemeanor charge is set for Oct. 23 in Wythe County Juvenile Domestic Relations Court at 9:30 a.m.
Jackie D. Armbrister, the parent of a student at FCHS, learned about the charges Wednesday morning from radio reports.
“My first question was, ‘why do they have all these young teachers with these older kids?’” she said. “I know there are a lot of good teachers who are young but I can see where that can cause problems.”
Hounshell is the third Wythe County teacher to be charged with sex crimes involving students.
Karen Susan Patton, 42, of Wytheville was given a three-year 11-month prison sentence for non-forcible sodomy (oral sex) and carnal knowledge charges for having sexual encounters in 2004 and 2006 with then 13-year-old boys. She was a teacher at Scott Memorial Middle School when one of the incidents occurred and was at Woodlawn School in Carroll County in the other case.
In 1998, former Rural Retreat High School science instructor and wrestling coach got prison time for his two-year relationship that began when his 13-year-old female victim was in the eighth grade. Michael Dewayne Blevins had sex with the girl at the school and at her house, according to court testimony.
After pleading guilty to 14 felonies involving the girl, the then 35-year-old was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his crimes. Since the girl lived in Smyth County when the relationship was ongoing, Blevins was convicted of crimes there as well.
Montgomery County’s prosecutor brought charges and won convictions against Blevins for sexual relationships he had with two female students, both 17, after he left Rural Retreat for a teaching job in Shawsville. The Montgomery County charges also involved the Rural Retreat student.
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 228-6611 or .
What do you expect from a school and a school system hell bent on removing God, Biblical standards of morals, and Christianity from all aspects of its practice?
Our community and our country is moving increasingly away from God… Given the direction we as a people are moving in expect for charges like this to be increasingly more common.
“It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible...” -George Washington
Actually, Pastor, these types of relationships were more common during the years of our Framers, so citing George Washington, who ardently believed in separation of church and state is entirely inappropriate. Religion doesn’t belong in schools. Morality is one thing, but saying that we can expect more of these charges because we’re adhering to our constitutional standards is terribly presumptive.
God has nothing to do with this. It is a matter of not caring what right and wrong are. Even if I did not know what or who God was, I know it is wrong to have a sexual relationship with a 13 year old girl if I’m 50.
These type of relationships go on more than people realize, I know of several Male teachers at fort chiswell that not only dated or tried to date students from the school they taught at but ended up and married them, why weren’t they ever caught and charged(it might look bad for the school)? I think to much is kept quiet so that the school and the administration and board doesn’t look bad. Wake up Wythe Co.school system you cant always hide it. I hope more young ladies will come forward about these teachers and they will have their day in jail as they should.
I don’t know about anyone else. I can honestly say that Mr. Hounshell was and still is my favorite teacher that I had during my five high school years at FT. Chiswell. He inspired me to pursue being an agriculture teacher myself. He is a decent man. If he is going to be indicted on these charges then the sheriffs office and the school board should go after the other teachers. There are more at that high school than just him who also done those things he is accused of. They should not go for just him. I will stand by him because of the teacher he was. If he admits or doesn’t to the charges he will still be a good man in my book. He never once made any advances on me or anyone in my presence for the five years I was there. If it was concensual which I’m positive it was they should just let it alone. Mr. Hounshell is not the type of man to force himself on anyone. Mr. Hounshell if you read this. There are people in this community that still are on your side. Don’t give up hope yet.
I totally agree with Pastor Farley. I have 6 children and they range in age from 13 to 3 and it scares the heck out of me to see stories such as this. I have trust in my children that they will be able to resist temptation such as this as they get older and develop “crushes” on teachers.
I believe things like this could be prevented more often if children had more of a connection with God in the schools. When I was growing up we had a moment of silence in school right after the pledge of allegence. We could say a prayer and not be condemmed for it.
God is the center of EVERYTHING and when we teach our children that it is “wrong” to believe that is (which is what this country is doing by removing God) this is what happens. They become adults with no morals and they end up committing crimes against children such as this.
Well, if the pastor wishes to mention the Bible in this matter, let it be. It plainly says in the Seventh Chapter of Matthew, in the very first verse, that we should not be judges of others. I, myself, am a Christian and wholeheartedly agree that God should be brought back into the schools. But what role models are we if we are to pass judgment onto a man who has yet to have his day in court? Even if the accusations are, in fact, true, it still is not our judgement to pass. If those of you who post to this article truly want to glorify God and promote Christianity, then what kind of witness are you trying to be to others if you are condemning this man for crimes for which he has not been proven guilty. It is unfortunate that people who only want to be seen and heard throw “God” and the “Bible” around so carelessly in such malicious conversation. Instead of bad-mouthing this man and dragging his name in the dirt, I would hope that some of these people would pray for Jason and have faith that God would help him in this tumultuous time, instead of trying to hang him out to dry. If you have an issue with what I have said, let me know. I would be glad to discuss it…
