First Judicial Circuit Judge Clifton A. Drake yesterday sentenced former Navarre High substitute teacher and NJROTC instructor John Kapolczynski to three years in state prison followed by four years of sex offender probation for charges related to obscene and sexual messages with an underage female student, whom he fondled in a school closet.
The relationship came to light after a School Resource Office received a complaint about the victim’s text messages with Kapolczynski, who reportedly directed the student to come to a classroom in which he was substituting and then took her into a closet, tried to kiss her and touched her inappropriately, per police reports.
Law enforcement later discovered obscene messaging on the victim’s phone.
Kapolczyski was arrested Nov. 4, 2022 and charged with the following:
- one third-degree felony count of lewd & lascivious behavior with a minor – touching victim;
- one second-degree felony count of sexual offense – authority figure soliciting a romantic relationship with student;
- one third-degree count of obscene communication – using a computer to solicit a child;
- one third-degree count of using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.
