Former St. Martin JROTC instructor charged under new grooming statute

A former St. Martin High School JROTC instructor has been charged with grooming a child after a month-long investigation, Assistant District Attorney George Huffman told WLOX News. The charge was filed under a statute that took effect July 1, 2025.

Grooming generally describes conduct intended to establish a relationship with a minor for the purpose of sexual exploitation or abuse; lawmakers in several states have moved in recent years to create or expand criminal penalties for that conduct. Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, or JROTC, is a military-sponsored program offered at many high schools intended to teach leadership, citizenship and discipline.

Huffman told WLOX News that the case would not have been possible a year ago because the alleged activity was not criminal before the new law took effect. Prosecutors said the investigation lasted about a month before charges were filed.

The development highlights how changes in state law can open the way to prosecutions of conduct that previously lacked a specific criminal statute. We will provide more information as it becomes available.