Tenn. Dance Teacher Gets 9-Month Sentence for Raping Teen Student, Exposing Him to HIV
A private dance instructor who appeared on the Lifetime reality show Bring It was sentenced on Friday to nine months in prison for having sex with a minor and exposing the teen to the AIDS virus — allegations he pleaded guilty to back in November.
A number of media outlets, including the Washington Post, are reporting John Conner III, 30, was also ordered Friday to serve four years of sex offender probation upon his eventual release from prison.
Additionally, Conner is now a lifelong sex offender registrant, according to WMC-TV.
Online records also confirm the sentence imposed against Conner last week.
Conner has two similar cases pending in court, reports WREG — one involving a 17-year-old sexual partner and the other based on allegations from a 24-year-old victim.
Investigators said Conner was 26 when he met the 16-year-old boy he’d eventually expose to HIV. They met on social media in 2015.
RELATED: Dance Teacher from Reality Show Bring It Pleads Guilty to Rape and Exposing Teen Boy to HIV
The two had unprotected sex inside Conner’s vehicle multiple times, where the teen was unknowingly exposed to HIV, which Conner had been diagnosed with in January 2012.
Conner did not inform the teen of his HIV status.
Following these encounters, investigators said the boy joined Conner’s dance team, the Infamous Dancerettes, and they continued exchanging explicit text messages, including nude photos.
A year after the pair met online, the boy discovered that Conner had HIV. He subsequently told his parents he had sex with the coach, and they suggested that he get tested for the virus.
The results later came up positive for the teen.
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Conner appeared on Bring It, which made its television debut in March 2014. The show follows Coach Dianna “Miss D” Williams and her Dollhouse Dance Factory team as they compete for hip-hop trophies.
Conner appeared on the show during the first season as the coach of Dynamic Diamond Dollz, and later during Season 2 as the coach of the Infamous Dancerettes.
He is currently not listed on the Bring It cast roster on Lifetime’s website.
