Dec. 16 – A former Preble County sheriff’s deputy and school principal is sentenced to prison after having a sexual relationship with a student.
Mason Williams, 26, of Eaton, was sentenced by Preble County Common Pleas Judge Stephen Bruns to 18 months in prison on two counts of sexual abuse and one count of tampering with evidence. He was also designated a Level III sex offender, the highest level, and will have to register every 90 days for the rest of his life.
At the time of writing, Williams was booked into the Preble County Jail.
Williams was previously an SRO at National Trail High School in Jefferson Twp., Preble County.
An investigation into Williams began in March after school officials notified the sheriff’s office of alleged unprofessional conduct by Williams, Preble County Sheriff Michael Simpson said earlier this year.
“It was learned that a school employee assigned to National Trail Local Schools was allegedly involved in a consensual relationship with an 18-year-old student outside of the school setting,” Simpson said.
The investigation was conducted by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
Investigators determined Williams deleted electronic correspondence with the student, leading to evidence tampering, the Ohio Attorney General’s office said.
No other students were believed to be involved.
Williams was placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation and resigned on April 1. He had worked at the sheriff’s office since 2019.
Staff writers Aimee Hancock and Kristen Spicker contributed to this report.
