ST. JOHN – An October jury trial is set for a St. John man charged with sex crimes involving a female student at St. John High School last fall. The two-day proceeding is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5, in Stafford County District Court, according to court records.

According to the complaint filed in Stafford County District Court on Sept. 9, 2020, Reno Berens, 27, faces three counts including electronic solicitation of a minor, unlawful sexual relations with a minor and sexual exploitation of a minor. The crimes are said to have taken place between Aug. 21 and Aug. 31, 2020.

He is currently free on a $100,000 cash or surety bond.

Berens was a janitor at St. John High School at the time of the alleged incidents. But, he was terminated effective immediately following an executive session at a brief special Unified School District 350 St. John-Hudson School Board meeting the evening of Sept. 2, 2020, in St. John, board minutes note.

In depth, the counts read:

• Count one - electronic solicitation, a severity level 3 person felony.

This means to “willfully and feloniously entice or solicit by means of communication conducted through the telephone, internet or by other electronic means, a person, whom the offender Reno Berens; believed to be a child, commit or submit to an unlawful act.”

• Count two - unlawful sexual relations, a severity level 8 person felony.

This means to “willfully and feloniously engage in voluntary sexual intercourse with a child 16 years of age, but less than 18 years of age.”

• Count three - sexual exploitation, a severity level 5 person felony.

This means to “feloniously and willfully possess a photograph, film, video picture, digital or computer generated image or picture, whether made or produced by electronic, mechanical or other means, in which intent to arouse or satisfy the sexual desires or appeal to the prurient interest of the offender, the child or another.”

St. John High School falls under Unified School District 350 St. John-Hudson.