MOBILE COUNTY, Ala. — A former teacher and boys’ soccer coach at Faith Academy is expected to plead guilty in a criminal case involving a former student, according to the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office.
Jonathan Sauers signed a notice of intent to plead guilty on Monday morning, DA’s office officials said. He is expected to plead guilty to two counts of a school employee engaging in a sex act with a student under the age of 19, a charge under Alabama law.
Background of the Case
Sauers was arrested in March 2023 after the family of a 16-year-old student reported her missing following a trip to a Semmes-area Walmart to pick up school supplies. According to Mobile County Sheriff’s Office officials, her parents grew concerned when she had not returned about an hour and a half later and went to the store to look for her.
The girl’s parents located her vehicle but could not find her, and contacted the Semmes Police Department. An officer later found her walking along Moffett Road, according to SPD officials.
Mobile County Sheriff’s Office detectives were called to the family’s home, where the student described an ongoing sexual relationship with Sauers to investigators, according to MCSO officials.
Plea Agreement
Under the plea agreement described by the district attorney’s office, Sauers would serve 20 years in state prison. Faith Academy is a private school in the Mobile area.
This report reflects only what has been confirmed by the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office; no conviction has been entered as of publication.
The Charge and the Plea Process
Under Section 13A-6-81 of the Code of Alabama, a school employee who engages in a sex act with a student under the age of 19 commits a Class B felony. In Alabama, a Class B felony carries a prison sentence of two to 20 years.
A notice of intent to plead guilty does not by itself resolve a case. The plea must be entered in open court before a circuit judge, who questions the defendant to confirm the plea is knowing and voluntary and decides whether to accept it along with the agreed sentence.
