A former Archbishop Hoban teacher was sentenced to nearly a decade in prison on Tuesday for sexually assaulting two students, ages 16 and 17.
Judge Joy Malek Oldfield sentenced 37-year-old Chad Kendall to eight years in jail, as agreed in a plea deal last month.
He previously pleaded guilty to six counts of sexual battery, all of which are third-degree felonies.
Former Archbishop Hoban instructor pleads guilty to sexual assault charges.
When Kendall is released from jail, he must register as a Tier III sex offender and report to the local sheriff every 90 days for the rest of his life.
“Chad Kendall took advantage of his position as an educator, caregiver, and trusted adult. He exploited the vulnerability and trust of his students, and it is thanks to the courage of the young girls who came forward that he was stopped from doing so again,” said Elliot Prosecutor Kolkovich.
Kendall “groomed and engaged in an unlawful sexual relationship with a student at Archbishop Hoban High School from 2022 to 2025,” according to prosecutors.
Kendall began grooming a second, younger pupil around this time, according to the prosecutor’s office. The pupils eventually found out about each other and realized he used similar tactics on them, frightening them and telling them he would kill himself if they told anybody what happened.
Prosecutors claimed the youngsters reported what transpired at school.
One of the victims delivered an impact statement in court.
“Instead of protecting me, he exploited me. The sexual coercion did not feel like a choice. It felt like a responsibility, especially since he was my teacher,” she said. “Chad Kendall took advantage of my innocence, my trust and my vulnerability. He stole years of my life that should have been simple and safe.”
Kelsey Dennis, a Summit County victim advocate, read a statement written by the other victim.
“After everything that happened to me, I truly understood what it felt like to be groomed, use and discarded,” Dennis read to the court. “I have come forward not because I have something to prove, but because I never want another human to experience this amount of guilt, heartache or torment that I have suffered.”
Kendall apologized for what he did.
“I know all the things that I did were wrong and unacceptable. I completely understand what had led to me being here today,” Kendall said.
A legal claim naming Kendall and Archbishop Hoban leaders as defendants is proceeding in Stark County Common Pleas Court.
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