The top security official at a Maryland high school was warned several times in writing about inappropriate contact with a student but was kept in his position and ultimately charged with sexually abusing the 17-year-old, according to details that emerged in court.
His case appears to be the latest of several in which a Montgomery County school system employee was admonished for repeated incidents of inappropriate behavior with students but stayed on the job and allegedly crossed the line again.
It raised further concerns because Yantsos was responsible for student safety and his arrest came amid a district effort to improve procedures for recognizing and reporting suspicious conduct in schools.
Yantsos was accused in April of befriending the teenager, texting her about graphic sex acts, giving her gifts and taking her to a hotel for intercourse.
Under a plea deal that was entered but not finalized in court last week, his sentence would be limited to 18 months but he would have a felony record and a place on Maryland’s sex offender registry.
Assistant State’s Attorney Hannah Gleason recounted details of the case and said her office had examined school district records, including Yantsos’s disciplinary file, finding several write-ups for “the inappropriate close contact that he had with the victim at the school leading up to these events.”
“He had been warned to cease any personal relationship or acting in an overly friendly manner with a student,” she said.
School officials did not comment on Yantsos’s disciplinary history, saying that as a practice they do not discuss or disclose personnel records. They said they could not comment on the case or issues raised about its handling because of pending civil litigation.
Yantsos was placed on administrative leave April 4 and fired June 20, schools spokesman Derek Turner said.
Attention to the case widened after Yantsos was released from jail on bond in April and, according to court records, violated orders to stay away from the victim. He saw her four days in a row and engaged her in sex on the fifth day, prosecutors said in court filings.
Parents voiced concern upon hearing there may have been signs of trouble before Yantsos’s arrest.
“I would love to know how much Montgomery County Public Schools knew about this and when they knew it,” said Matt Longabaugh, a father of two daughters who said once the case ends officials need to “spell out what happened.”
“The guy entrusted with keeping them secure ends up being the predator,” he said. “They absolutely owe the school-age community in Montgomery County an explanation, particularly if they knew something in advance.”
Donny Knepper, an attorney for Yantsos, said the warnings his client received from the school came before a sexual relationship existed between Yantsos and the student.
“At the time these warnings were issued, Mark didn’t foresee where this would end up,” Knepper said. “He did not set out on a course of child sexual abuse.”
Knepper said that Yantsos was on full-time status when he was placed on leave.
“Mark deeply regrets this entire matter,” Knepper added.
According to prosecutors and court documents, the victim and Yantsos knew each other for a couple of years and began to talk more in April 2016, and she increasingly saw him as a friend and confidant. In about October 2016, according to police, Yantsos began telling the girl he loved her and he wanted them to be together.
He bought her gifts — a North Face jacket, Ugg designer boots, a diamond pendant necklace for Christmas, a ring for Valentine’s Day — giving her at least some of the items while at school. Around December 2016, they met every couple of days to “hang out.”
Yantsos occasionally gave her money when she needed it, prosecutors said. He also bought her an extra cellphone “as a precaution” and because he never wanted to be away from her, prosecutors said.
In March 2017, Yantsos picked the teenager up from her home about 10 p.m. one Friday and took her to the hotel in Rockville. After they engaged in sex, he brought her home.
The teenager’s mother discovered the relationship April 3 and went to the high school to report it, according to prosecutors and court documents.
Police allege that when Yantsos saw the student’s mother arrive at the school, he contacted the student. She left class and met him, and he retrieved the iPhone 7 he had given her. Prosecutors alleged last week that he disposed of the phone.
During their investigation, police found evidence that Yantsos, a former New York City police officer, wrote love letters to the student and was photographed hanging out with the teenager at school during the school day while he wore his work uniform.
His sentencing is set for Oct. 30 before Judge Michael D. Mason. Gleason, the prosecutor, told the judge at last week’s hearing that she had informed the victim’s family of the plea agreement, through one of their attorneys. Mason said he would give the family until the sentencing date to offer their opinions before making the guilty plea final.
Yantsos worked in the school system for a decade, according to the school district. He started at Ridgeview Middle School and led the security team at Richard Montgomery from 2008 until the allegations surfaced.
After Yantsos’s arrest, Richard Montgomery’s principal, Damon Monteleone, described the allegations as “despicable” in a letter to parents, saying such actions reflect “an irreparable breach of trust, ethics and the law.”
Montgomery County Schools Superintendent Jack Smith issued a statement in April that adults who abuse their position and take advantage of students have "no place in our schools or community." He pointed to an effort to improve safeguards that started in 2015 and included more training and an employee conduct code.
Those changes followed several sex offense cases that heightened parent concerns.
Most recently, a case involving teacher John Vigna — who was sentenced to 48 years in prison — set off concerns anew about the supervision of Montgomery school employees with past incidents of inappropriate conduct and whether they should be removed from direct contact with students.
Angela Edwards, a parent whose children attended the school where Vigna worked, said she was alarmed to hear about another case in which an employee was warned about inappropriate behavior several times but left in contact with students.
“How many chances do you give them to damage our children?” she asked.
