AKRON (OH)
WKYC-TV, NBC - 3 [Cleveland OH]
May 19, 2026
By Anna Meyer, Dave DeNatale, Annabelle Childers
Chad Kendall, a former Archbishop Hoban teacher, received an eight-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to six counts of sexual battery involving students.
Former Archbishop Hoban High School teacher Chad Kendall received his sentence on Tuesday after pleading guilty to six counts of sexual battery.
Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Joy Oldfield sentenced the 37-year-old Kendall to eight years in prison for charges stemming from sexually abusing two students between the ages of 16 and 17 for multiple years during his time as a teacher.
“You used emotional and psychological manipulation of these minor girls for your own sexual satisfaction. That’s really what it is,” Oldfield told Kendall.
In addition, Kendall has also been designated as a Tier III sex offender, which requires him to register every 90 days with the local sheriff for the rest of his life upon release from prison.
Prior to his sentencing, Kendall addressed the court.
“It wasn’t a big scheme of trying to find people or anything like that. I think there’s just no excuse that validates or makes whatever I do okay. I understand that. I don’t think that I’m a terrible person, I have done terrible things, but I, I just…. I just want everyone to know that I’m sorry,” he said.
After reading the sentencing terms, Oldfield applauded the victims for their bravery.
“Chad Kendall took advantage of his position as an educator, caregiver, and trusted adult. He exploited the vulnerability and trust of his students, and it is thanks to the courage of the young girls who came forward that he was stopped from doing so again,” said Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich in a statement.
CASE DETAILS
Prosecutors say from 2022 to 2025, Kendall “groomed and engaged in an unlawful sexual relationship with a student at Archbishop Hoban High School. During this period, he also began grooming a second, younger student. The two students later discovered each other, compared their experiences, and recognized that Kendall had used nearly identical grooming tactics on both of them. When the victims recognized what had been done to them, they reported it to the school.”
Investigators added that Kendall allegedly threatened the students, “claiming he would take his own life if they disclosed what was happening.”
Police say the victims came forward after Kendall’s June 2025 arrest on a separate assault charge involving a different former student. That charge was dismissed earlier this year.
Kendall turned himself in after Akron police charged him on Aug. 1, 2025, with multiple counts of sexual battery involving former students. He was indicted by a Summit County grand jury on 10 counts of sexual battery later that month.
In January of this year, one of the victims filed a civil lawsuit against both Hoban and the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland in the Stark County Court of Common Pleas, claiming the school “ignored and/or actively failed to address Kendall’s criminal misconduct and other inappropriate behaviors, enabling Kendall to exploit his position of authority over certain students.”
SCHOOL RESPONSE
When reached by 3News after Kendall’s guilty plea last month, Archbishop Hoban referred to a prior letter from President Chris DiMauro sent to school families after the civil suit was filed. DiMauro is also named as a defendant in the complaint:
“The Hoban administration has learned that a former student/alumna has filed a lawsuit against Hoban and others in the Stark County Court of Common Pleas alleging sexual misconduct by a former Hoban teacher, Chad Kendall, among other things.
“The safety, security, and well-being of Hoban students are always our top priority. Hoban strongly denies the allegations against the school and its administrators contained in the lawsuit. As soon as Hoban received reports of the alleged misconduct, administrators contacted the police and cooperated with the official investigation. Hoban acted swiftly in alerting the authorities and took all necessary measures to support the police and their ensuing investigation.
“Hoban will defend itself and its reputation in the face of these serious, yet unfounded allegations.”
Related Articles
- Former Archbishop Hoban High School teacher from Akron charged with sexual battery involving former students: What we know
- Former Archbishop Hoban teacher Chad Kendall indicted on 10 counts of sexual battery in Summit County
- Former Archbishop Hoban High School teacher Chad Kendall pleads guilty to 6 sexual battery charges