Tennessee TV show dance teacher who raped boy, 16, and exposed him to HIV sentenced to 9 months in prison
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: A Tennessee dance teacher who pleaded guilty to raping a teenage boy and exposing him to HIV has been sentenced to nine months in prison and four years of probation.
MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) previously reported that John Conner III, now 30, first met the victim, a 16-year-old boy, on social media in 2015, following which he had unprotected sex with the teen several times in his car.
After their sexual relationship began, the victim joined Conner's dance team, 'The Infamous Dancerettes,' which had featured on Season 2 of Lifetime's reality TV dance show 'Bring It' where competitive dance teams in the mid-South are showcased.
Conner had also appeared on Season 1 of the show in 2014 as a coach of the 'Dynamic Diamond Dollz,' but was not listed on the cast list for the current season.
His relationship with the teen continued even after he joined his team, with the pair exchanging nude photos and text messages about their sexual activity. Throughout this time, he never revealed he had tested positive for HIV in 2012.
The crime finally came to light in August 2016, when the victim told his parents about his sexual encounters with the 30-year-old and said he ought to be tested for the virus because he had heard that the dance teacher had it.
His worst fears were confirmed when the test results came back positive, and Conner was subsequently arrested and charged by Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich.
He pleaded guilty to felony charges of criminal exposure to HIV, statutory rape by an authority figure, and solicitation of a minor this past November.
Late last week, a judge sentenced him to nine months in prison followed by four years of sex offender probation and also ordered him to register as a sex offender for life.
Conner still has two similar pending cases with two other victims, aged 17 and 24.