Teacher's court hearing rescheduled

NORWALK — A Monroeville Schools teacher accused of child sex crimes will return to court for a fourth hearing after her pretrial was rescheduled for the third time. Holly Bauer, 42, of Monroeville, is a social studies teacher at Monroeville Schools. The district received a formal complaint in November 2024, alleging she sexually assaulted an underage boy. A Huron County grand jury indicted Bauer on the following charges: • Five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, each a third-degree felony • Four counts of sexual battery, each a third-degree felony • Three counts of rape, each a first-degree felony • Two counts of failure to comply with underage alcohol laws, each a first-degree misdemeanor • One count of burglary, a second-degree felony • One count of trespass, a fourth-degree felony Bauer and her attorney, Jonathan McGookey, met in front of Judge James Conway once again on Wednesday. Conway rescheduled Bauer's final pretrial date for Sept. 8. The previously announced trial date still stands to start on Nov. 5. On Tuesday, the day before Bauer met in front of Conway, McGookey submitted two motions: • A request for interviews with the alleged victim to be marked as "counsel only" and be released to the defense counsel. • A request for a "Kastigar hearing" related to the investigation run by the school district. A Kastigar hearing would be used "to address the use and derivative use of the defendant's compelled statements pursuant a Title IX investigation in subsequent criminal proceedings," according to court documents submitted by McGookey. When Monroeville Schools conducted its investigation, Bauer was subjected to several interviews and was given a "Statement of Garrity Rights," stating anything she said could not be used in a criminal proceeding and if she refused to answer honestly and completely, she would be subject to discipline. In his documents, McGookey states Bauer's statements shaped how the prosecution perceived the case, selected witnesses, interpreted interviews and created its trial theory. He also stated she was coerced with the idea she could lose her job. The prosecution must prove that it did not use Bauer's interview because of its protection. At Wednesday's pretrial, Conway said the "parties agreed that there was an ongoing discovery under some motion practice that has to be dealt with." For the Kastigar hearing, Conway said the state requested three weeks to respond and the defense will have 10 days to reply. Depending on whether it is determined if the statement was used during the grand jury stage or trial preparation, McGookey called for either dismissal or suppression of evidence in his submitted documents.