ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A former Hancock High School counselor was sentenced to 15 years in prison Tuesday after having sexual contact with one student and inappropriate contact with nine others.
According to a press release, Assistant United States Attorney Jillian Anderson said in court that Jenkins executed a “carefully orchestrated web of manipulation,” which lasted months. Anderson also said that he used students’ religious beliefs or past sexual abuse to prey on them.
In a letter about Jenkins to Judge White, the mother of one victim wrote:
“He was supposed to be helping our seniors map out colleges to help them into the next step of their educational path. Instead, he was manipulating and grooming our girls for his pleasure while traumatizing them for life at the same time.”
Anderson also said in court that Jenkins had been placed on administrative leave and counseled by a prior school for inappropriate behavior with students. He then sought a job at a third school even after his offenses in St. Louis County came to light in the summer of 2021.
According to the release, Jenkins pleaded guilty in September to two felonies, coercion and enticement of a minor and transfer of obscene material to minors, and admitted engaging in a pattern of inappropriate activity with multiple students between Oct. 1, 2020, to Sept. 1, 2021.
According to his plea agreement, Jenkins contacted a 15-year-old student on her personal cell phone and on social media. Jenkins requested nude pictures and sent her nude pictures of himself. He claimed he loved her and told her he wanted to have sex with her.
He complimented the body of a second teen and told her that he wanted to engage in phone sex with her, according to the release.
Jenkins communicated with a third teen in a sexual manner, sent her nude pictures of himself and requested pictures in return. He also engaged in sexual conduct with the teen while she was a student, on occasion leaving school early to do so.
Jenkins brought up inappropriate topics with a fourth student, arranged to smoke marijuana with her and asked her to teach him a “sensual” dance.
One teen told other counselors that Jenkins took off his shirt on a Zoom call and touched himself after telling her to share details about when she was molested.
About six more students told police that Jenkins did similar things with them including calling them by pet names and touching them in a manner that was inappropriate and uncomfortable.
After Jenkins is released from prison, he will be on supervised release for life and will have to register as a sex offender, according to the release.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated this case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood.
