The 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office said on Thursday that a 45-year-old former teacher had been sentenced to 14 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a child.
Tera Johnson-Swartz was arrested in February 2025 on allegations of kidnapping and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
She pled guilty to child sexual exploitation and felony cybercrime, according to the district attorney’s office.
The sheriff’s office stated that Johnson-Swartz previously worked as a teacher at STEM School Highlands Ranch, a charter school in the Douglas County School District. According to an arrest affidavit, she was accused of sending over 2,400 text messages to a student, purchasing cigarettes for that student, and driving the student off campus in her vehicle.
According to the complaint, Johnson-Swartz and the victim began talking about music during class and then exchanged text messages “discussing how and what they were doing.”
According to the district attorney’s office, Johnson-Swartz persuaded the boy to meet with her outside of school in January 2025, gave him smokes, and sexually assaulted him.
The DA’s office stated that subsequent sessions involved additional sexual assaults.
Matt Cartier, the school’s chief innovation officer, issued a statement to 9NEWS following her arrest, which reads in part:
“A former high-school teacher was arrested last night and we are fully cooperating with authorities. The Douglas County Sheriff’s office notified us of an investigation into this individual on January 21, 2025 and we immediately put her on paid-administrative leave, denying access to our campus, electronic records and students.”
Cartier stated that the teacher worked at STEM School Highlands Ranch from 2022 to February 14, 2025.
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