A teacher at a Mennonite school outside of Salem was arrested yesterday on allegations he sexually abused a 16-year-old female student, according to McMinnville police.
The 29-year-old teacher informed his administrators at Western Mennonite School of the abuses, and the principal of the school said the information was then turned over to the
state Department of Human Services, who next informed law enforcement.
Matthew Yoder was arrested Tuesday on five counts of sex abuse in the second degree, and single counts of rape in the third degree, sodomy in the third degree and coercion.
According to a court document, Yoder told administrators that the illegal sexual activity happened at least four times, beginning in May of 2011 and ending around Thanksgiving of that year.
In an interview with police, the victim said the sexual encounters began in the summer of 2010, when she was 15 years old.
Yoder said they met at his residence in McMinnville, according to the paperwork. The victim confirmed that but said they met at her McMinnville residence, too.
Dr. Darrel Camp, principal of the school, said Yoder was a high school social studies teacher until Monday, when he was terminated.
The school had a special assembly to address the situation and small groups were made available for students needing to talk, said Camp.
"We sent an email to all our families and supporters yesterday," added Camp.
Yoder--a McMinnville native--was lodged in a Yamhill County jail and is awaiting an arraignment on the charges.
Western Mennonite School serves grades 6-12, was established in 1945 and sits on a 45-acre campus in the Willamette Valley, according to their website.
--Toshio Suzuki
