WHEELING, W.Va. – A former male teacher at Wheeling Park High School will serve at least two years in prison and could serve ten.
Micah Kovacs Farmer, 38, received that sentence Tuesday in Ohio County Circuit Court after entering a guilty plea to two felony counts of third-degree sexual assault involving a sexual relationship with with a former student.
Ohio County Prosecuting Attorney Shawn Turak said in court that Farmer was a predator who groomed the then 17-year-old female student victim whose father had recently passed away. Turak said the victim was a virgin before encountering the former high school teacher but their interactions soon turned sexual. Investigators also found letters of a sexual or romantic nature from other students in Kovacs Farmer’s office at the Wheeling Park High School campus.
The West Virginia State Police investigated the allegations after the Ohio County Board of Education raised questions about Kovacs Farmer’s conduct. That investigation showed that Kovacs Farmer was involved in inappropriate sexual encounters with the teen student. Kovacs Farmer resigned from his teaching role at Wheeling Park High School in early 2024.
Ohio County Circuit Judge Michael Olejasz ordered that the two one-to-five-year sentences be served consecutively, resulting in a total prison term of two to ten years. In West Virginia, third-degree sexual assault can bring one to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Kovacs Farmer will also have to register as a sex offender for life and spend up to 20 years on supervised probation after release.
