(Editor’s note: On April 23, 2026, Rick Andermatt pleaded guilty to four counts of pandering obscenity and one count of disseminating material harmful to a juvenile. Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Chris Brown sentenced Andermatt to three years of community control and ordered him to register as a Tier 2 sexual offender every 180 days for 25 years.)
A Canal Winchester elementary school custodian has been arrested and charged with a felony after he allegedly had a sexual texting conversation for months with a teen girl.
Rick Andermatt, 41, of Columbus’ Southeast Side, was arrested April 25 for pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, a second-degree felony, and pandering obscenities of a minor, a fourth-degree felony, according to an April 25 press release from the Columbus Division of Police and Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
The 16-year-old victim is safe with their family, police said.
Andermatt was employed by Canal Winchester Local Schools as a custodian at Indian Trail Elementary School, according to a staff page for the district. Columbus police said the school “was notified and took immediate action.” His staff biography appears to have been deleted from the district website.
According to Columbus police, Andermatt engaged in a “sexual texting conversation” over several months with a minor. The sexting conversation allegedly resulted in the teen girl sending sexual pictures and videos to Andermatt.
According to a statement from the district, Andermatt, who was a second-shift custodian, was immediately placed on administrative leave after the district learned about his arrest and the charges. Andermatt has been notified that he is not allowed to be on school property or attend any district events while on administrative leave.
“While we understand that this matter does not involve any of our students, we take the safety and well-being of all children seriously,” the district statement said. “We will continue to cooperate fully with the Columbus Police Department in their investigation and follow state law and our district policies to take the appropriate and necessary steps.”
Additional charges against Andermatt may be pending after the case is presented to a grand jury for possible indictment, Columbus police said. He was arraigned April 26 and bond was set at $750,085, according to court records.
As a condition of his bond, Andermatt must stay away from all minors. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 5, according to court records.
The Columbus police Exploited Children Unit reminds parents to monitor their children’s cell phones and their online and social media activity, and to speak regularly to them about the importance of online safety.
Parents can find more information on how to protect children online at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website.
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Canal Winchester elementary school janitor arrested for sexual texting with a minor
Reporting by Cole Behrens and Maria DeVito, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
