Ritenour School District Administrator Charged With Sexual Contact

An educator at Ritenour High School has been charged with sexual contact with one of his choir students. Police allege Richard Bell inappropriately touched one of them back in April 2022.

Debbie Rensko of Seward; Jeannette Bracken of Vintondale; Christopher McCabe, Zachary Rensko and Nichole Rensko as grandchildren; as well as Jude, Vera, and Talia as great-grandchildren are left behind to cherish his memory.

Early Life and Education

“The Man from LA,” guitar great John Scofield is revered across multiple generations for his impressive career that includes being the first album to top Billboard’s contemporary jazz chart; winning a Grammy award for his collaboration with Dave Grusin on Harlequin; 17 nominations; and over 10,000 sessions over the span of his lifetime.

He taught music in public schools for years, and was an avid NASCAR fan. He is survived by daughters Cindy McCabe, Debbie Rensko and Rick Rensko of Seward; Jean Bracken of Vintondale; as well as his six grandchildren Christopher McCabe, Zachary Rensko, Nichole Ritenour Eric Matava and Noah Bracken.

Richard Bell, 57 years old and choir teacher at Ritenour High School was arrested by St. Louis County prosecutors’ on Monday for sexually engaging a student.

Professional Career

Richard Bell, choir teacher at Hoech Middle School and Ritenour High School in Charlack in Ritenour School District has been charged with unlawful sexual contact with a minor on April 22, the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney’s office announced. This charge constitutes a Class E Felony.

Ritenour Public Schools features ten schools, over 600 caring employees and an enthusiastic community. Recently, it earned national accolades for academic improvement and engagement initiatives; also home of Missouri Teacher of the Year 2023!

Achievement and Honors

Ritenour has become one of the premier guitarists throughout his illustrious career – both as an innovator in 1970s fusion and an iconoclast in ’80s pop chart crossover stardom, an outstanding exponent of Brazilian jazz, and leader of 90s supergroup Fourplay. His discography boasts over 45 albums with multiple #1 poll positions on guitar charts as well as collaborations with legendary artists like Frank Sinatra and Pink Floyd among many more. He holds multiple Grammy awards.

He established Insurance Office of America and expanded it into a nationwide company with over $50 million in annual revenues, winning him Success Magazine’s Business Achievement Award in Seminole County for this achievement.

Recently, John Ritenour and Valli were honored with the Symetra Tour’s Eloise Trainor Award for their years of support of female golfers.

Personal Life

His family includes Cindy McCabe and husband Thomas Hettle of Trenton; Debbie Rensko and husband Rick of Seward; Jeannette Bracken with Keith of Vintondale. Christopher McCabe, Zachary Rensko and Nichole Rensko were his grandchildren while great-grandchildren Jude, Vera, and Talia completed his immediate family circle. Additionally he was known to support Camp Harmony throughout his lifetime.

Grammy-award winning guitar legend Jeff Beck has an unparalleled five-decade career that spans from his Tuesday nights at the Baked Potato with Dave Grusin, Patrice Rushen and Harvey Mason to founding Fourplay in the ’90s and recording several albums that reached number one on Billboard charts to playing thousands of sessions for artists such as Pink Floyd, Frank Sinatra Steely Dan and B.B. King to name but a few.

Net Worth

John Ritenour has built a net worth of $14 Million through his career as a professional musician, session guitarist, and businessman. He specializes in various musical genres such as jazz, funk, rock, blues, and Brazilian music.

In 1976, he released his debut jazz-pop album called First Course. Due to his expertise as both guitarist and composer, many renowned artists have collaborated with him in creating songs that reflect his musical talent.

In 1988, he and Valli founded Insurance Office of Florida in Apopka, FL, with only three employees at first. However, quickly expanding into an agency operating across 30 states gave them invaluable experience managing employees and running a business; later utilizing this knowledge to assist other independent musicians improve their careers.