By Sheila McLaughlin
Enquirer staff writer

LEBANON – Thomas Monti had a. reputation that was hard to rip apart.

An educator for 33 years and an assistant principal at Lebanon Junior School, he had a multitude of teachers and others who respected him. The 59-year-old grandfather didn't even have so much as a traffic ticket, a Warren County judge noted Tuesday.

The same couldn't be said about the troubled 14-year-old student who accused Monti of molesting her when she lived with him and his wife in foster care two years ago. There were no witnesses or physical evidence to corroborate her allegations and the defense had witnesses ready to testify that the girl had a history of lying, judge James Flannery said.

One day in jail

Those details help explain how charges against Monti went from 15 counts of sexual battery carrying the prospect of up to 75 years in prison to a single non-sex charge of felonious assault and one day in jail

"This is certainly not intended to represent punishment," Flannery said as Monti stood before him for sentence.

"It does symbolize, hopefully, to other child victims that they will at least be listened to," Flannery said. "But, being listened to and being able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that something occurred are not identical."

Monti pleaded no contest last month to the felonious assault charge. As part of the plea bargain, he was ordered to turn in his Ohio teaching certificate. Flannery also told Monti Tuesday to give up his foster care license.

Monti will be on probation for five years and has to undergo evaluation by a counsel-or who will recommend to Flannery whether Monti needs sex offender treatment. Neither the girl nor her mother, who had earlier criticized the plea agreement, attended Tuesday's hearing.

Wrongdoing denied

Monti dutifully placed his hands behind his back for a deputy to handcuff him as the judge left the bench.

Monti still denies any wrongdoing, including sexual contact with the girl, said Charlie Rittgers, his defense attorney.

Monti accepted the plea because he is in poor health with a heart condition and couldn't risk a guaranteed prison sentence if convicted at trial, Rittgers said.

"It was a very difficult case and each side got something as a result of the plea bargain," Rittgers said. "He still maintains his innocence and he was able to do that under the plea bargain.