Former Catholic high school counselor sentenced for abusing teen student

(OSV News) -- A former counselor at an Ohio Catholic high school was sentenced to prison June 10 for sexual battery of a student, with prosecutors alleging in a sentencing document she had groomed others.

Emily Nutley will serve three years for having sexual relations with a then 17-year-old attending St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati.

In a June 10 statement, the school's president, Tim Reilly, thanked both the Springfield Township Police Department and the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office for its "thorough work and cooperation" in the matter.

"We appreciate the unwavering commitment of our faculty, staff, and administration for the safety, well-being, and dignity of every student entrusted to our care," said Reilly.

While noting that "we believe this case to be an isolated incident," Reilly also strongly urged victims to contact the school and law enforcement "if any St. Xavier employee has failed you or someone you know in this regard."

The 43-year-old Nutley had led a program for students needing academic help at the all-boys Jesuit school. The teen victim had been assigned to the program and in the fall of 2023 was working on academic tasks with Nutley, who initiated additional contact outside of school hours and physical contact beginning in November 2023.

According to the teen, the abuse consisted of Nutley -- then 42 and married with three children -- texting him sexually explicit messages, sending nude photos of herself, and engaging in sexual encounters with him at least four times, both on and off the school campus.

In a Nov. 30, 2023 text, Nutley said it would be "wild" to perform a sex act on the teen "when the whole school is at Mass." Court documents also indicated she had bought the teen food, provided him with a monthly "allowance" of $100, and at least once sent him answers ahead of a test.

In March 2024, the teen tried to halt the advances, but Nutley nonetheless persisted in contacting him via text.

By October 2024, rumors Nutley was engaging in sexual relations with a student head reached staff, who reported the matter to the school principal.

The teen disclosed the abuse to his parents that same month and subsequently met with school administrators.

St. Xavier announced on Oct. 11, 2024, that Nutley had been fired following an internal investigation. She was indicted shortly thereafter on six counts of sexual battery, a third-degree felony and faced a possible 15-year sentence if convicted on all charges.

Nutley pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual battery, receiving a sentence of three years of incarceration followed by five years of probation. She will also have to register as a Tier III sex offender every 90 days for life.

In a letter she wrote to Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Jennifer Branch, Nutley said her behavior had made her "sick with shame," adding, "I think every day about the impact of my actions -- not just on the victim, but on his family, friends and the entire St. X (Xavier) community."

Assistant Prosecutor Elyse Deters read a victim impact statement by the teen during the sentencing, which said the abuse had left him "confused, lacking self-worth and depressed."

"I can't get away from this," the teen wrote. "I have a hard time trusting people, especially authority figures."

Although Nutley was tearful in court, Branch told her, "I was looking for you to say that you acknowledge the harm that you caused this young man. … You pretty much ruined the rest of his high school career."

But, said Branch, "I didn't see it. I didn't hear it."

A sentencing memorandum filed by prosecutors and released June 9 said she had failed to show remorse and in a psychological interview had "completely blamed the victim."

The memorandum also pointed to evidence "Nutley groomed other children."

In their sentencing memorandum, Nutley's defense attorney said his client was a "broken woman" suffering from mental illness, alcoholism and sexual abuse.

He added his client, whose marriage has since ended and whose relationships with her children were now "severely damaged," was currently in a program for those convicted of sexually harmful behaviors and would complete the course in 2027.