Former Ohio State University Marching Band drum major and drum major instructor Stewart Kitchen plead guilty to sexual battery today.
In April 2015, Kitchen(now 29 years old) had non-consensual sex with a 19-year-old student. He was placed on paid administrative leave and his contract as a lecturer was not renewed when it expired shortly thereafter.
As part of his plea deal additional charges of rape and offenses involving underage persons were dropped. Sentencing is scheduled for June 29. Kitchen could face up to five years in prison and will be required to register as a sex offender.
Kitchen served as drum major in 2006-7 and afterward joined the staff as a drum major instructor. He made news when he sold his band memorabilia to raise money for his mother’s cancer treatments.
The Ohio State Band was under investigation for a sexualized culture during the time of Kitchen’s initial arrest. Former director Jonathan Waters was fired and the band is under continued supervision by the university.
