High school student's essay leads to abuser being sent to prison

When a high school class was given an assignment to write about overcoming obstacles, their teacher had no idea what one student was about to present to him.

After being asked to addresss a challenge she’d been presented in life, the Californian pupil submitted an essay about the sexual assault she and two sisters had suffered years ago, US television station WTOL reported.

When the essay was submitted, the school, Fremont’s Vanguard Tech Center, contacted local authorities.

The sheriff’s office then conducted an investigation into the claims the student had made.

Following the investigation, 43-year-old Anthony Knight pleaded guilty on Tuesday to three counts of rape.

He will be sent to prison for 20 years, WTOL reported. The Fremont News Messenger reported on Wednesday that Knight will be required to register as a Tier III sex offender.

“The class was asked, I believe, to write an essay pertaining to obstacles that they had overcome in their life, and she had disclosed that she had been sexually abused as a child,” Detective Sgt Kenneth Arp of the Sandusky County Sheriff’s Office told WTOL.

The Associated Press noted that the student’s siblings were also interviewed about the assault. One of the sisters was reportedly abused when she was just seven years old.

“I think that these types of things happen a lot more often than what the average person might think that it does,” Arp said.

“I think that if you talk to different investigators around the area, they will tell you that they work a lot of sexual assault cases similar to this. This one happens to have a positive outcome, and unfortunately a lot don’t, but I think it sends a great message.”