Ex-Springfield Twp. firefighter pleads guilty to cadet sex charges

SPRINGFIELD — A Springfield man pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges that he sexually assaulted minors in the Springfield Twp. Fire Department's cadet program, where he served as the training instructor.

Jonathan Scott Monroe, 24, was convicted of charges that included two counts of sexual battery and one count each of gross sexual imposition, compelling prostitution and rape.

If the case went to trial, he faced the possibility of a life sentence, according to his defense attorney Regina Richards. Several other charges were dropped in exchange for the plea agreement.

Clark County Judge Richard O'Neill ordered a pre-sentence investigation and Monroe is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 1. He could face as many as 37 years in prison if the sentences are served consecutively, O'Neill said. Richards said the rape charge carries a mandatory sentence of at least three years, with a maximum 11 years in prison.

Court records say Monroe visited the Springfield Police Division in April last year, where he confessed to sexually assaulting four victims.

Monroe also will have to register as a sex offender, and was ordered to remain in the Clark County Jail pending sentencing.