Cheerleader Sarah Jones Pleads ‘Not Guilty’ To Having Sex With Student

Cheerleader Sarah Jones has pleaded not guilty to allegations that she had sex with a teenage student while a teacher at Dixie Heights High School.

The Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader and her mother were both in court Monday. 26-year-old Jones was charged last week with first-degree sexual abuse, while her mother, Cheryl Jones, was indicted on unlawful use of electronic devices after she was alleged to have tampered with evidence.

Jones resigned from Dixie Heights High School last November, citing personal reasons. Her mother, the principal at Twenhofel Middle School, has been placed on paid administrative leave.

Both mother and daughter held hands as they approached the defense table at their hearing. Bond was placed at $15,000 for each woman, and each will wear electronic monitoring bracelets as a condition of their release.

A pre-trial date has now been set for June 11, with the trial scheduled for June 27.

Jones continues to deny sexual relations took place between her and the student. Back in December, her attorney Eric Deters said:

“The student denies it. The parents of the student are upset that this has gone where it has gone. They don’t have anything bad to say about Sarah. Sarah denies it. There’s no victim. There’s nobody saying ‘Hey, this happened.'”

Dixie Heights Superintendent Terri Cox-Cruey noted that she never received allegations against Jones:

“The day the police openly investigated, that was the same day she submitted her resignation. No parents or students ever approached me in all the years she worked for the district with any concern.”