Jasper County Man in Custody After Incident at School

A Jasper County man who was working as a teacher's aide was arrested Wednesday on counts of sexual exploitation of a child and official misconduct.

63-year-old Stephen F. Ochs of Newton was arrested following an alleged incident in a classroom at Newton Community High School. Jasper County State's Attorney Kevin Parker said Ochs is accused of committing a sexual act while in a classroom where students were present. The official misconduct count alleges that Ochs committed the act while working as a public employee. The incident occurred just before 1:30pm Wednesday. A statement from Newton Police Chief Mike Swick indicates that an investigation is continuing into the incident.

In court Thursday morning, bond for Ochs was set at $100,000. The matter of an attorney for Ochs is yet to be decided. He is due back in court for his first appearance with counsel on Thursday, November 13.