Ex-teacher faces more charges
SAXONBURG — A retired high school teacher already jailed on charges he had indecent contact with girls that he plied with drugs, alcohol and clothes, is now accused of being a voyeur.
State police said Richard J. Peresie used peepholes in his bedroom to secretly watch girls — some in their mid-teens — use the bathroom at his 102 Oakleaf Drive mobile home in Jefferson Township.
The latest accusations against the 66-year-old Peresie were disclosed in new criminal charges police filed Wednesday.
Those additional charges — including that he had child pornography in his house — bring to five the number of alleged victims in the still unfolding case that spans more than three years, said lead investigator Trooper Robert McGraw.
"But there are potentially more victims to come," McGraw acknowledged. The investigation continues, he said.
District Judge Sue Haggerty on Wednesday arraigned the defendant on 13 additional sex charges.
Just last week, Haggerty arraigned him on five sexual assault charges and one count of possessing drug paraphernalia.
A former, longtime teacher at Freeport High School, with a 32-year professional career, Peresie remains in the Butler County Prison on $50,000 bail.
Police initially arrested Peresie on Friday after three girls — currently 14, 17 and 18 years old — came forward and accused him of inappropriate contact and providing them with cocaine and prescription drugs.
Two of those girls told investigators that since 2007, the defendant had provided them with cocaine, according to court documents.
One of those teens said Peresie also gave her Percocet, Vicodin and alcohol, and showed her animated pornographic movies.
The oldest girl claimed she ingested cocaine with the suspect as recently as nine months ago, when she was still a minor, documents said, and that he had bought her a cell phone and clothing.
He allegedly bought clothing for other girls and made them pose for photographs in various states of undress.
McGraw pressed forward on his investigation following Peresie's arrest. He identified two more alleged victims — now 16 and 17 — and conducted additional interviews with the previous accusers.
Three girls told investigators of the "potential for a surreptitious video surveillance system or 'peepholes' to be present inside Peresie's residence," a police affidavit said.
The girls suspected the defendant was watching or filming them as they changed clothes in the bathroom.
Police Monday got a warrant to search the defendant's home, investigators said, and found three small peepholes in the wooden wall inside of Peresie's bedroom.
"The holes would provide Peresie the capability to view individuals in various states of undress," documents said, "while they were utilizing his bathroom."
As part of Monday's search, police seized from the home three pieces of the wall, 11 compact discs, three plastic straws, a bag and an unknown blue pill.
Police said the straws and the bag contained suspected cocaine residue.
Also taken was a magazine titled, "Naturally Nude Living and Recreation."
Additionally, the latest charging documents noted police found two separate sexually explicit materials, "which both contained child pornography."
Police in a previous search of the home last week, gathered up a list of other belongings, including photo albums, disposable camera, bikinis, pornographic DVDs and suspected drug paraphernalia.
That specific charge of possessing child porn seemed to especially bother Peresie at Wednesday's arraignment.
"I don't know how much I can say," he told Haggerty, "but I know there's no child pornography."
The divorced Peresie, who has no children, was accompanied by two sisters — but no attorney — at this arraignment.
He told the judge his sister was trying to find him a private attorney.
In all, Peresie is charged with two counts each of sexual abuse of children, aggravated indecent assault and indecent assault
, four counts each of child endangerment, corruption of minors and invasion of privacy, and possession of drug paraphernalia.His preliminary hearing is tentatively set for April 7.