March trial date set for former North Middle School reading teacher in child sexual exploitation case

A March 25 trial date has been set in U. S. District Court in Springfield for a former North Middle School reading teacher accused of sexually exploiting a minor and transmitting obscene material to another minor.

A pre-trial hearing for Amanda Schweitzer, 39, will be held 9:30 a.m. February 26r.

According to the grand jury indictment, Schweitzer "used, persuaded, induced, enticed and coerced a minor, John Doe (DOB 2003) to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction" which was then sent to a child born in 2002.

The charges appear to be in connection with an investigation initiated by the Joplin Police Department after it received reports Schweitzer had sent nude photos of herself to three boys, age 14, 14 and 13. It was during that investigation that they came across the evidence indicating Schweitzer had sex with the 13-year-old.

Schweitzer also faces a Jasper County charge of felony statutory rape for allegedly having sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old student at her home March 29, 2017. The next hearing in that case is scheduled for October 1.

She is also charged with three felony charges, kidnapping, statutory rape, and statutory sodomy in Newton County for allegedly taking the same 13-year-old boy to the Water's Edge Camp Ground and having sex with him.

Two lawsuits have been filed in Jasper County Circuit Court in connection with the case.