Teacher gets 2 months’ jail time, probation for sex crimes

A former Pennsylvania middle-school teacher will serve two months in jail and several more under court supervision after being convicted of inappropriate sexual contact with two female students. The 66-year-old man will serve 23 months of so-called “intermediate punishment,” which will include two months in county custody. The man will then spent four months on house arrest for the sex crimes, and he will be subject to an additional 17 months’ probation. A judge in the case also added an additional three-year probation term. Official reports show that the man had pleaded guilty to charges of endangering the welfare of a child in connection with the incidents. One encounter occurred during the 2003-04 school year, with another happening from 2008-09. The victims, who were in the sixth grade at the time of the child sexual abuse, said that the man touched intimate parts of their bodies. Allegations of the child sexual abuse did not surface until late 2011, when a 15-year-old girl reported the incidents to police. Later that year, a 20-year-old woman also brought allegations against the well-liked teacher. The defendant had spent 38 years as a respected member of the teaching community, according to defense attorneys, who argued that the man should receive probation instead of jail time. The man’s wife also pleaded with the judge to limit the man’s time in custody, saying that he suffers from medical conditions that require her attention. The judge in the case was not so lenient, but the man will be permitted to return home after just two months in jail. The man has also been required to surrender his teaching certification, and he is prevented from entering that industry again. The criminal defendant in this case will only spend a matter of weeks in custody before he is released to serve the rest of his sentence on probation. Criminal defense attorneys may be able to help even those defendants facing aggressive prosecution to reduce their criminal charges or the severity of their punishment. Those facing sexual assault charges may benefit from consulting a Pennsylvania criminal defense attorney. Source:  The Times Herald News, “Ex-Wissahickon Middle School teacher faces jail for improper contact with two girls” 11 March 2014