DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — A woman, who was a 2025 Colorado Teacher of the Year finalist, has pleaded guilty after she was charged in connection with an inappropriate relationship with a student at STEM School Highlands Ranch.
Tera Johnson-Swartz, 45, of Castle Rock was arrested in February 2025 and was charged on various counts, including second-degree kidnapping and sexual assault on a child from a potion of trust. She was a former English teacher at the school.
She pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of cybercrime. Both are class 3 felonies. Her sentencing hearing has been set for March 30, 2026.
According to Johnson-Swartz's arrest affidavit obtained by Denver7 in 2025, a Douglas County detective began working this case on Feb. 18, 2025. The detective spoke with the male victim, a juvenile of unknown age, who said he had known Johnson-Swartz for about a year and a half and was in a small class led by her. The two exchanged music and the juvenile made a playlist for her. Johnson-Swartz put her number in his phone, the affidavit read.
When asked by a detective, the juvenile said some of the texts back and forth were "more intimate discussions," the affidavit reads. At some point, the teacher picked the student up in her car and they kissed, according to the document. The juvenile said they both knew what they were doing was wrong.
On Jan. 22, 2025, detectives met with a couple — who appeared to be the parents or guardians of the juvenile, though it is unclear in the redacted affidavit — who said they are the only ones who can give permission for him to leave the school. The couple found deleted texts between the juvenile and Johnson-Swartz that contained about 2,400 messages and confronted the juvenile about it. In several of the messages, Johnson-Swartz told the juvenile to delete the texts, the affidavit reads.
That same day, a detective reviewed downloaded text exchanges from the juvenile's phone. The conversation between the student and Johnson-Swartz appeared to begin on Dec. 18, 2024 and the last message visible was Jan. 15, 2025.
On Jan. 29, 2025, an attorney reached out to the sheriff's office to say she had been retained as counsel for Johnson-Swartz.
A few weeks later, on Feb. 20, a detective spoke with the juvenile again, who admitted that they had seen Johnson-Swartz two days prior, when she picked him up at school and they drove around before parking in a neighborhood and talking about the investigation. Johnson-Swartz then drove the juvenile back to school, the affidavit reads. A license plate recognition program confirmed these movements of Johnson-Swartz's car.
After her arrest, Johnson-Swartz was charged with second-degree kidnapping, two counts of sexual assault on a child from a position of trust, electronic sex communications, sexual assault with at least a 10-year age difference, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. A grand jury indicted her on those charges.
When the Douglas County Sheriff's Office announced her arrest, Denver7 learned she was named a 2025 Colorado Teacher of the Year finalist — one of seven out of a pool of 1,300.
In July 2025, new charges were added because Johnson-Swartz allegedly violated a protection order by contacting the student, the district attorney's office confirmed to Denver7. Those charges included tampering with a witness and three counts of a violation of a protection order.
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