High school counselor preyed on female students seeking guidance in Missouri, feds say

A high school counselor preyed on female students who were seeking his guidance in Missouri, authorities said.

Now he has admitted in federal court to “having sexual contact with one student and having inappropriate contact with nine others,” according to a Sept. 20 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.

In pleading guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor, and transfer of obscene material to minors, James Q. Jenkins faces anywhere from 10 years to life imprisonment. He also faces a $250,000 fine.

While the 38-year-old man has pleaded guilty in federal court, he also faces several charges in St. Louis County related to alleged crimes while employed at Hancock Place High School, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The charges include second-degree rape.

“Mr. Jenkins accepts responsibility for his actions and is deeply ashamed and remorseful,” defense attorney Joe Flees said in a statement to McClatchy News. “He knows he must be punished and has pled to an offense which carries a minimum of ten years.

“He hopes that the Judge will consider the positives in his background and judge him for all that he has done, good and bad,” Flees continued. “Mostly he hopes to get sex offender treatment in prison so he can seek meaningful rehabilitation after his sentence.”

Hancock Place School District Superintendent Kevin Carl said administration is aware of the former employee’s guilty plea and that “the safety and care of students is always our top priority.”

“(We) wish to express our appreciation to the St. Louis County police department, the Crime Unit detectives and all prosecuting attorneys for working in unison to bring this matter to justice,” he said in a statement to McClatchy News. “We will continue to cooperate fully with local authorities, as necessary.”

The guilty plea

Jenkins admits he had inappropriate relationships with about 10 high school girls from Oct. 1, 2020, through Sept. 1, 2021, while employed as a counselor, according to his plea agreement signed Aug. 5.

He “engaged in sexual conduct” with one of those students several times, authorities said.

“In the first instance, (the student) reported that she told the defendant ‘no’ in regard to sexual contact, and that he did not stop until she was able to physically push him off her,” according to the signed plea agreement. But Jenkins denies that this was “without consent” or that “forcible compulsion” occurred.

He engaged in sexual contact with her multiple times after that, officials said, and they sometimes left school early to do so.

Authorities say Jenkins also sent texts to a 15-year-old female student, both sending nude pictures of himself and requesting photos from her. He told her he wanted to take her virginity and sent several other “graphic” messages, the plea agreement says. This began after Jenkins approached the girl at school and said he “would like to get to know her better.”

Another student went to counseling through a teacher’s recommendation, and while there, Jenkins “asked her to teach him a ‘sensual’ dance,” authorities said. He also made plans to smoke marijuana with her.

Throughout the investigation, several other students reported his illegal behavior, according to court records.

“They told authorities that Jenkins made comments about their bodies, communicated with them on their personal cellular telephones and social media accounts, tried to make plans with them outside of school, showed them sexual videos, took his shirt off, called them by pet names and touched them in a manner that was inappropriate and uncomfortable,” according to the news release.

Teachers and school administrators expressed concerns about Jenkins’ behavior, officials said.

“In particular, school personnel were concerned that the defendant put off and delayed seeing male students in need of counseling, while demonstrating alarming familiarity and frequency of contact with certain female students,” according to court records. School officials counseled him over these concerns.

Jenkins quit as a high school counselor in summer 2021, authorities said. He said his mother was sick, then tried applying for an elementary school counseling position.

An investigation later revealed Jenkins was previously placed on administrative leave “due to inappropriate behavior with female students” at another Missouri school district, authorities said.

Jenkins’ sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 20.

If you have experienced sexual assault and need someone to talk to, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for support at 1-800-656-4673 or visit the hotline's online chatroom.

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