Jonathan Busch, 54, is charged with statutory rape of a child under the age of 15 and indecent liberties with a child. (Gaston County Sheriff’s Office)
A former teacher from North Carolina has been accused of sex offenses with a minor — the same girl that Anthony Weiner got sent to prison for sexting in 2016, a report says.
Sources told WSOC-TV that the disgraced ex-congressman from Queens, who is serving a 21-month prison sentence, could play a pivotal role in the new case.
Jonathan Busch, 54, is charged with statutory rape of a child under the age of 15 and indecent liberties with a child. He was arrested Thursday in Gaston County, which is where Weiner’s teenage victim reportedly lives.
The girl is now 18 years old, but she was 15 when she began sexting the pervy politician in January 2016. It’s unclear how Busch made contact with her. Authorities would only say that the alleged interactions took place in June and September 2016.
The former teacher used to be employed by Lake Norman High School in Mooresville, but the girl was not a student. School officials told the Charlotte Observer that Busch resigned this week. They said that alleged incidents with the minor “did not occur” on campus.
Busch was arrested Thursday and later released on bond.
Investigators have released little details about the case, but law experts told WSOC that they wouldn’t be surprised if Weiner became the main focus.
“A defense lawyer is certainly going to be looking into that situation,” said former Gaston county prosecutor Michael Neece, who is now a defense attorney.
“Sometimes it can become a trial within a trial.”
Weiner, who ran for mayor and lost in 2005 and 2013, is locked up at the Bureau of Prison’s Federal Medical Center in Devins, Massachusetts.
The fact that his teenage victim was caught in yet another sexual misconduct case didn’t surprise child advocacy experts who spoke to WSOC.
“It’s a lot of sadness,” said Erin Weatherford-Famer, executive director for the Alliance for Children. “There is so much trust that has been broken.”
Going through the judicial process a second time will likely be very tough on the girl, Weatherford-Famer said.
“They are so vulnerable at that point,” she explained.
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