Dan Carden
A former school teacher from LaPorte who pleaded guilty in 2023 to four counts of child seduction was appropriately sentenced to 10½ years in prison, according to the Indiana Court of Appeals.
John M. Doty, 38, admitted engaging in sexual conduct with a 16-year-old student on multiple occasions between December 2021 and January 2022 in his home and at locations in rural LaPorte County, according to court records.
Records show in exchange for his guilty plea, a number of additional charges against Doty were dismissed, including two counts of rape and one count of attempted rape, as well as two additional counts of child seduction.
In his appeal, Doty argued LaPorte Superior Judge Thomas Alevizos abused his discretion in sentencing him and that his aggregate sentence was inappropriate given the nature of his offenses and his character.
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The three-judge appellate panel unanimously rejected both of Doty's claims.
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It found Alevizos' sentence was not clearly against the logic and effect of the facts and circumstances before the court or the deductions reasonably drawn from them.
In particular, the appeals court said Doty's lack of remorse, his causing physical and psychological injuries greater than necessary to prove the offenses, and the victim impact statements were sufficient to justify Doty's prison term.
The appeals court also found no basis for reducing Doty's sentence because it is "substantially less" than the maximum 24-year sentence Doty could have received.
Likewise, Doty's abuse of his position of trust as a teacher, his blaming the victim and suggestion the student should also be punished, Doty's sharing of semi-nude and nude photographs and videos with his student, and allegedly inappropriate interactions with other former students all weighed against reducing Doty's prison term, the appeals court said.
Doty still can ask the Indiana Supreme Court to consider reviewing his sentence. Otherwise, his earliest possible release date from prison, assuming good behavior, is Oct. 30, 2031, according to the Department of Correction.
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