A former Highlands Ranch teacher charged with kidnapping and sexually assaulting a student took a deal and pleaded guilty last week to child sex exploitation, according to court records.
Tera Johnson-Swartz pleaded guilty during a Wednesday hearing in Douglas County District Court to one count of sexually exploiting a child, a felony, court records show.
The plea deal dropped five other felony charges from her case, including second-degree kidnapping, sexual assault with a 10-year age difference, unlawful electronic sexual communication and two counts of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust–pattern of abuse, according to court records. The deal also dismissed one misdemeanor charge of contributing to the deliquency of a minor.
Johnson-Swartz, a 45-year-old Castle Rock woman who taught at STEM School Highlands Ranch, was accused of kissing and initiating sex with a student younger than 18 years old. Her employment at the school ended on Feb. 14, 2025.
The woman’s relationship with the student was discovered when the student’s parents found deleted text chains with the former teacher, according to a grand jury indictment. The chains included roughly 2,400 text messages, many containing sexually explicit content.
Johnson-Swartz is scheduled to appear in court for a sentencing hearing on March 30.
