By Cherokee Tribune staff
A Canton man accused of having sex with at least two students while he was their drama teacher has pleaded guilty.
Former Cherokee High School teacher and coach Matthew Gantz, 41, entered his plea in Cherokee County Superior Court on Friday.
Under his agreement, Gantz pleaded to two counts of sodomy and was sentenced to 20 years, with six to serve in prison. He also will be required to register as a sex offender and pay $2,000 restitution for counseling for each victim.
He was charged in September by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office with five counts of sexual assault of a person in custody and one count of tampering with evidence after two former students came forward.
The first victim told police that Gantz, her divorced drama teacher, lured her to his home and raped her when she was a 17-year-old senior last school year. He then began pulling her out of class to have sex with him at the school, his home and at a motel. She said she tried to end the relationship, but was afraid of Gantz.
Based on her account, the sheriff's office executed a search warrant at Gantz's home. There they found photos of him with a "young girl," pornography CDs and magazines with images of young females and other materials that corroborated her story.
Following his arrest, a second victim came forward to say when she was his 17-year-old drama student, Gantz had sex with her at the school, in his home and in a car. Based on her allegations, the sheriff's office filed additional charges.
Gantz, who had been employed as a teacher at the Canton school since 1998 and had coached soccer, resigned following his arrest.
The allegations that led to his arrest were not the first made against Gantz, Cherokee County School District officials said.
A parent photographed Gantz with a student out at a local restaurant and sent it to school officials in March, who notified the students' parents.
Gantz also was called in for a conversation with his supervisor concerning "appropriate conduct as a teacher," according to district officials.
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The girls were of age and knew exactly what they were doing. Yes, Gantz used poor judgment but it is not worthy of a prison sentence. The girls are equally responsible for their actions.
Justice is served.
He was my drama teacher in high school. I had him the very first year he started at Cherokee High. He never tried anything with me or my classmates that I knew of, but he was always kinda creepy in that "sex-offender" type way. To be honest, I wasn't terribly surprised to hear of this news.