Gym teacher placed on leave

NORWALK — An elementary school gym teacher employed by Perkins Schools was recently arrested and suspended with pay. A Huron County Sheriff's Office report and a suspension letter identify the teacher as Charles L. Weyer Jr., an employee of the district since the 2009-10 school year, according to a copy of his personnel file reviewed by the newspaper. Huron County sheriff's deputies arrested Weyer, 50, of the 12000 block of Hoover Road, Milan, on Feb. 13 and charged him with one count of engaging in prostitution, a first-degree misdemeanor, and one count of solicitation, a third-degree misdemeanor. Weyer works as a gym teacher at Furry Elementary School and was placed on paid administrative leave on Monday, according to a letter the newspaper reviewed and signed by district superintendent Lonny Rivera. The Register received this letter, along with the personnel file, on Wednesday morning. During his leave, he is forbidden from being on district property or having any contact with any students, parents or staff, unless directed by Rivera. The district addressed Weyer's arrest in a release shared with district families and staff. It is unclear when the release was shared with district stakeholders. The release states: "At this time, the charges are serious and part of an active law enforcement investigation," according to the release. "Because this is a criminal matter, the district is limited in its ability to comment upon this matter, however, we want to emphasize that there is no indication at this time of any threat to student safety or that any of our students were involved in the situation leading to the arrest," it continued. The statement went on: "This situation occurred away from school, was not related to the staff member's work duties, and outside of work hours," the release continued. "In other words, the situation leading to the arrest was not related to the district or its students in any way." The district will cooperate fully with law enforcement and will lead its own internal investigation, according to the release. Background A Huron County Sheriff's Office incident report did not provide any specifics on the nature of the arrest or what allegedly occurred. A narrative section of the report was left blank. Charging documents from the Norwalk Municipal Court indicate that the alleged crimes occurred on the same day of his arrest, according to court records. On Feb. 17, Weyer appeared in court for an arraignment where he pleaded not guilty, according to court records. As of Wednesday afternoon, Weyer was released from the Huron County Jail on bond. He has an upcoming court hearing scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 23.