Ex-Miami University professor arrested in teen sex sting previously punished by school

The Miami University professor accused of trying to have sex with a 14-year-old girl was reprimanded 18 months ago by school officials for harassment and ethics violations, according to documents obtained by the Journal-News.

Former Miami Professor Kevin Armitage is facing federal criminal charges — made public earlier this week — for allegedly traveling to Kansas City, Mo., to have sex with a girl he thought was 14 years old, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

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School officials cited Armitage in a Dec. 12, 2016, letter of reprimand that said the college instructor had violated the school’s “policy prohibiting harassment and discrimination,” “professional ethics” and “violations of Miami University’s domestic and international travel guidelines.”

In the letter, signed by Miami University President Gregory Crawford, Armitage was declared as part of the reprimand to be ineligible for any merit salary raises for three academic years, barred from “any overload, summer or winter term employment for a period of three years and from study abroad/study away courses for a period of six years.”

“This type of behavior must not occur again. It is imperative that you maintain appropriate faculty standards. Failure to do so may result in additional disciplinary action up to and including termination,” wrote the Miami University president.

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University officials said today that Armitage’s violations in 2016 are not similar to the criminal charges he now faces.

Claire Wagner, a spokeswoman for Miami University, said, “the matter for which Kevin Armitage was disciplined in 2016 did not involve sexual harassment nor sexual misconduct.”

Wagner declined to provide further details.

Armitage, an individualized studies professor, signed a waiver on Dec. 14, 2016, as part of the letter waiving his right to use school procedures to dispute the accusations against him or punishment delivered by school officials.

Armitage was still a Miami University professor when he was arrested. The FBI notified the Butler County school on June 12 of his arrest.

The school suspended him on June 13, and he sent a letter of resignation the same day, according to his personnel file, which the Journal-News obtained through a public records request.

Armitage showed up at a restaurant May 30 in Kansas City with $100 and a condom to have sex with a 14-year-old girl known as Crystal, according to documents from a federal court in Missouri.

He was actually meeting with an undercover FBI employee who had been tracking Armitage’s activity under the username “CletusTheYokel” on an alleged sex trafficking website.

Armitage was then arrested, and according to the FBI, admitted to using the website under the username.

He was hired by Miami University in 2008, according to his LinkedIn social media page. He was also a former assistant professor of history at Miami.

Contributing writer Brennen Kauffman contributed to this report.

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