Suspended Moniteau teacher charged
CHERRY TWP — A suspended Moniteau High School teacher is accused of being sexually inappropriate with a handful of current and former female students during the past four years.
The series of alleged actions occurred on school grounds, sometimes during classroom hours, immediately after school or during after school activities.
The charges filed Monday by state police — including more than a dozen counts of felony institutional sexual assault — confirm reports that have been circulating since last month when the Moniteau School Board confirmed it had suspended 26-year-old Jonathan Crum without pay.
Crum, who had taught 11th grade English and AP European history and was an assistant football coach, made no comment during or after his preliminary arraignment Monday afternoon at the Chicora office of District Judge Lewis Stoughton.
According to the criminal complaint filed Monday by state police, the allegations involve five girls. The earliest incident listed was in 2009, when a student alleges Crum sent sexually explicit messages to her cellular telephone and unsuccessfully tried to kiss her.
The longest and most involved of the allegations involve a girl who first encountered Crum while taking his English course. She alleges the assaults began with inappropriate touching in the spring of 2012.
According to the court papers, Crum fondled the girl’s breasts and genitals, and, at Crum’s request, the girl fondled Crum’s genitals. The assaults continued and progressed to oral sex by autumn and continued through March.
Allegations from the other girls range from inappropriate touching of their breasts or buttocks to requests that they send sexually explicit photographs to Crum’s telephone. One girl, in the criminal complaint, says Crum changed her English grade to a “B” after he touched her buttocks.
None of the allegations outlined in the 12-page criminal complaint involve Crum’s role as an assistant varsity football team coach.
The charges filed against Crum are: 14 counts of institutional sexual assault, five counts of corruption of minors, three counts of indecent assault and two counts each of possessing child pornography and criminal solicitation of child pornography.
At the conclusion of Monday’s arraignment, Stoughton set a preliminary hearing date of May 22. But already Crum’s lawyer Kevin Zinski of Pittsburgh said it is likely he will ask to move that to a later date.
Stoughton set Crum’s bail at $100,000. He was sent to the Butler County Prison, where he later Monday was released after posting a bond.
Stoughton also ordered Crum not to have contact with minors except his own children.
Court records indicate Crum, who is from the Harrisburg area, lives in Mercer Township with his wife. No information was available about the couple’s children.
Moniteau School District Superintendent George S. Svolos on Monday afternoon declined to comment on the allegations.
However, he said the district is using its own guidance counselors as well as representatives of community programs to provide support to staff and students. Additionally, Svolos said district officials are reviewing procedures and programs to be sure students and staff are aware of the assistance available to them.
“We’ll look at the impact that this is having on our professional and student community, evaluate what is going on, try to assess and develop a plan,” said Maynard Harvey, junior-senior high school principal.
“We don’t want to rush to judgment,” said Harvey. “We want to support the kids and the staff.”
Eagle staff writer Laurie Lindsay contributed to this report.
