GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A former Iredell County high school teacher entered a guilty plea Thursday to "crimes against nature" after being arrested for having sex with an underage girl in Gaston County.
Jonathan Busch, who taught social studies at Lake Norman High School, received 30 months probation, as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.
The case made national headlines because sources told NBC Charlotte the name of the victim in Busch's case matched the name of the same victim in former Congressman Anthony Weiner's 2016 sexting case.
In court, prosecutors revealed Busch began chatting with a 15-year-old Gaston County girl on the website, Seeking Arrangement, back in the summer of 2016. At the time, Busch's attorney said his client didn't think he was doing anything wrong.
"He met this girl through this dating site and initially thought she was of age, per the age that was put through the website," Busch's attorney said.
However, prosecutors said the girl soon made Busch aware she was underage, yet they still engaged in sex acts.
A month after they met, NBC Charlotte's sources confirmed that girl became a prominent part of the 2016 presidential election when FBI investigators arrested former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner for exchanging explicit photos with a 15-year-old girl.
Weiner's now estranged-wife is prominent Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin.
As part of Busch's plea deal, he must undergo both a mental health evaluation and a sex offender assessment, and he can have no contact with any minors besides his grandson.
Prosecutors said the victim is aware of this plea deal, but she didn't show up to court.
