Teacher Jailed, Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student

UPPER ARLINGTON, Ohio -- A teacher remains in jail Thursday after a student comes forward and accuses him of sexually assaulting her on school property.

NBC 4's Tom Brockman reported with the FAST FACTS.

Lawrence A. Dibble, 41, allegedly put his hand up a female student's skirt and fondled her while on school property, police told NBC 4.

Upper Arlington police said the reported incidents happened at the Wellington School, 3650 Reed Rd., between April and May 2009 while the victim was 18 years old.

UA police officers arrested Dibble and charged him with alleged gross sexual imposition Wednesday. The arrest came Wednesday because the victim made the report Tuesday.

Gross sexual imposition is a fourth-degree felony.

Dibble was arraigned in a Franklin County courtroom Thursday morning.

During the arraignment, Dibble and the county prosecutor discussed how Dibble was apprehended: Police asked the former Wellington student to wear a wire, and Dibble discussed the past alleged encounter with her.

"On February 2nd of this year, she was fitted with a body wire, sent to the school to talk to the defendant about the incident. She asked him why he put his hand on her skirt and why he touched her private area and buttocks, and the defendant responded that he just wasn't thinking," they said.

He remained jailed in Franklin County early Thursday afternoon.

Dibble is the theatre director at the private school that serves 600 students in grades pre-kindergarten to 12.

Dibble immediately was suspended from his duties at Wellington, pending further investigation, and school officials sent an e-mail home to parents.

"Our focus is on the children -- as it always is on the children -- and our counselors are available today and available all of the time to meet with children and all of the rest of our community as we work through this difficult time," Laura Cooke said. Cooke is the school's asst. head for marketing and finance.

Dibble has been on staff at the school since 1998 and received all the appropriate background checks.

But the incident isn't the first time Dibble has been accused of having an alleged inappropriate relationship with a female student.

According to a memo obtained by NBC 4, in April 1995 at a high school in Minnesota, a school district employee allegedly used a scanner to intercept two cordless incriminating phone calls between Dibble and a student.

The phone calls were later ruled inadmissible because neither party was aware.

But the student later gave additional testimony. But it is unclear if Dibble was ever disciplined beyond being non-renewed to teach at the school.

"All Wellington employees go through the standard Ohio Department of Education, FBI criminal background checks. Mr. Dibble was no exception," Cooke said.

Anyone with additional information, including other potential victims, was asked to contact UAPD at 614-583-5160.

"Any additional information that can assist with this investigation, or any potential victims -- not to say there are -- obviously we want to make sure that people are comfortable coming forward and speaking with us," Upper Arlington officer Heather Galli said.

Dibble does not have a teaching certificate and hasn't applied for one, according to the Ohio Department of Education.

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