Lawyer wants teacher exonerated
LEETSDALE, Allegheny County — The attorney representing a suspended Seneca Valley School District teacher said Tuesday that he believes a forensic inspection of the teacher’s computer will exonerate him of a felony child pornography charge.
Jonathan Brecht, 26, of Franklin Park waived his case to court Tuesday. He is free on $100,000 bail.
David Shrager, who represents Brecht, said police are evaluating the computer he allegedly used to download three images of child pornography.
“We don’t dispute that there are photos, but the question is what are the photos?” Shrager said.
Brecht had been under investigation by the Allegheny County District Attorney since May 2015, though police did not know he worked as a teacher until after charges were filed.
District officials escorted Brecht off the Seneca Valley campus Feb. 10 after they learned about his charges. A middle school math teacher, he is suspended without pay.
He did not tell investigators he was a teacher, only saying that he was a sales associate at Target, according to court records.
Shrager said that Brecht was truthful with the investigators when he told them he worked at Target.
After learning that he worked as a teacher, the district attorney’s office released a statement Feb. 12 saying it would notify the Butler County District Attorney about the investigation.
Brecht is not accused of doing anything illegal at Seneca Valley, only at his house where he lives at his mother.
Jackson Township Police Chief Terry Seilhamer said the department would be looking at his school computer. Brecht teaches in Jackson Township.
The investigation started in May after Skout, which is a dating website and mobile application, reported a conversation between an adult and a minor where they discussed meeting.
Police traced the account supposedly belonging to a 24-year-old woman to Brecht’s house. He allegedly admitted to posing as a woman and chatting with a girl, but said that he never went through with a meeting and has never touched a child.
In July, he turned his computer over to police, who allegedly found three images of child pornography on the hard drive.
Shrager said he was confident that nothing will come of any additional investigations.
“His employment really doesn’t have an impact on the criminal case,” he said.
Shrager didn’t say if Brecht would want to return to teaching at Seneca Valley if he is acquitted.
