The Bergen County prosecutor last week announced the arrest of a Park Ridge High School teacher on sex offense charges.
The 27-year-old teacher is accused of inappropriate sexual contact with a student during her junior and senior years at the school. The former student is now of age, officials said.
The teacher, a Garfield, New Jersey, resident, was being held on $100,000 bail in Bergen County Jail after being charged with sexual assault on a minor, as well as child endangerment.
The prosecutor's office said the teacher had been suspended, though it wasn't clear from the media report we read whether the suspension was with pay or without it.
Apparently, a fellow teacher reported the man to authorities, who then interviewed the young woman he was allegedly involved with. She reportedly told law enforcement officials that she had had "inappropriate sexual contact" with the teacher while she was a student.
The purported incidents occurred in different cities, she reportedly told authorities, including on Memorial Day of 2010.
The teacher was hired by the school district for the 2007-2008 school year. He served as a substitute teacher before being hired as a full-time instructor in math, pre-calculus and algebra honors.
He has also served as an advisor to the Student Council.
After his arrest on these serious charges, not only is his career in danger but his freedom is threatened as well.
These kinds of cases make for lurid headlines and sensationalist stories, but the criminal justice system is much different than the court of public opinion. The criminal court system is complex; successful navigation of it typically requires the assistance of an experienced criminal defense attorney.
Source: Cliffview Pilot: "Park Ridge High School teacher had sex with student, authorities charge," Jerry Demarco, Jan. 5, 2012