AKRON, Ohio. A former Green Middle School teacher is in the Summit County Jail after federal marshals arrested him Wednesday on an indictment charging him with nine felony sex offenses involving students. Gary D. Huff, 64, of North Canton, was taken into custody Sept. 30 by the U.S.
Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, according to a news release from Summit County Sheriff Kandy Fatheree. He was booked into the county jail the same day. Court records reviewed Wednesday showed no hearing date had been set and no bond amount had been posted publicly. A Summit County grand jury indicted Huff on Sept. 29 on three counts of rape, each a first degree felony, and six counts of sexual battery, each a third degree felony.
The charges remain allegations. Huff has not been convicted, and no court has found that he committed a crime. The case began last October, when a 42 year old woman reported to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office that she had been sexually assaulted as a student. Sheriff’s investigators said she was 13 at the time of the alleged offenses.
She described what the sheriff’s office called numerous sexual encounters with Huff between 1997 and 1999, both on school property and off school property. Once detectives opened the investigation, additional former Green Local Schools students came forward and said they also had been victimized by Huff, according to the sheriff’s release. Authorities have not publicly stated a total number of alleged victims. Investigators say they are still trying to identify other possible victims.
The Summit County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. The office provides law enforcement service in the City of Green and asked anyone with information to call 330-643-2154. Huff retired from Green Local Schools in May 2017. District officials have not released his exact hire date or the number of years he taught.
They have not said he was placed on leave, terminated, or forced out before that retirement. Public reporting so far has not independently confirmed any earlier criminal convictions or formal disciplinary findings against him. Green Local Schools issued a statement after the arrest. “We know this news is deeply upsetting, and rightfully so, for our families, our staff, and the entire Green community,” the district said.
“The Green Local School District has cooperated fully with the investigation and will continue to do so as this case moves forward. We are grateful to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office for its diligent work and partnership in protecting our students.” The district added that the sheriff’s investigation remains open and that anyone with information should contact the sheriff’s office directly. Officials said they would respect the investigation and the court process and remain committed to student safety.
Ohio law generally gives prosecutors until a childhood sexual abuse victim’s 43rd birthday to bring criminal charges for rape and sexual battery, with the clock typically starting when the victim turns 18 if the abuse was not reported earlier. That window is why a report from the late 1990s can still produce an indictment in 2026. If a jury later convicts Huff, Ohio law sets wide possible prison ranges. Rape is a first degree felony.
A standard first degree felony prison term can run from three years to 11 years on each count, and certain facts can raise the range to a life term. Sexual battery charged as a third degree felony, when the allegation involves sexual conduct, can carry a prison term of 12 months to 60 months on each count under the sentencing schedule that applies to that offense. A conviction on these kinds of charges can also require sex offender registration. Those figures describe the statutory exposure.
They are not a prediction of any sentence. As of Wednesday night, Huff remained in the Summit County Jail. Investigators said they believe other former students may still come forward.
