Below, we publish, unedited, the statements released by the Manchester Police Department and the Manchester School District regarding the arrest of Parker Varney gym teacher Paul Johnson-Yarosevich.
From the Manchester Police Department:
Johnson-Yarosevich
Manchester Police Detectives Matthew Solari and Rob Tremblay started an investigation on December 6, 2014 after an initial report was taken from the father of a pre-teen female. The young girl attends a local elementary school within the City of Manchester. She stated the crime involved a social media site with an unknown subject who was posing as a young girl.
Both detectives deal with computer related crimes, so they reached out to available resources to assist in the investigation. They utilized the assistance of Homeland Security, Maine State Police and the State of Maine Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, as well as the Manchester School District. The thorough investigation revealed the victim had been communicating with a person who misrepresented their age and gender. The unsuspecting victim thought she was communicating with a female student within her age range. However, Detective Solari realized the victim, who had shared inappropriate images of herself (at his request), was actually corresponding with an adult male, later identified as Arrested; Paul Johnson-Yarosevich, 34, Acton, Maine.
Detectives were able to identify the person of interest with the assistance of Maine State Police and realized he was employed by the Manchester School District. The physical education teacher has been employed by the City of Manchester, NH since 2005. They executed a search warrant at his Acton, Maine residence on Friday April 3rd and also notified the Manchester School District about the investigation, which prompted a meeting earlier today. Police detectives, school administrators and the teacher in question met at school district headquarters today.
Detectives placed him into custody without incident. He was booked at police headquarters and transported to Hillsborough County House of Corrections due to the fact he was unable to post his $5,000.00 cash/surety bail. He was charged with Prohibited Use of Computer Services (F) for “knowingly using the internet to attempt to seduce, solicit, lure or entice a person.” Due to the sensitivity of the case, no further details will be released until the completion of the investigation. It is too early to confirm if this is an isolated incident, so the investigation remains open. However, we are working closely with the Manchester School District to ensure the safety of our children.
UPDATE: Johnson-Yarosevich was able to make bail and has a court date was set for May 21, 2015. He will appear in the 9th Circuit Court-Manchester on that date.
From the Manchester School District
Statement on the arrest of teacher Paul Johnson
The safety of our children is a top priority of Manchester School District. Paul Johnson was placed on leave prior to Monday’s arrest. We are fully cooperating with the police investigation into his alleged criminal conduct. Johnson has been a Manchester School District employee since 2005. The Manchester School District condemns the behavior alleged in this case and has taken swift and immediate action to ensure the safety and security of our students.
Any questions regarding the ongoing investigation should be directed to Manchester Police and Lt. Brian O’Keefe at 792-5430.
