Archive for the ‘Band/Music’ Category
(09/08/10 – Initial BadBadTeacher.com Report)
Miguel Cala, 37, a former music teacher at St. Andrew’s Catholic School in Coral Springs, Floria has reportedly been arrested in Virginia on allegations that he molested one of his male students during a tutoring session in August.
According to the 8-year-old victim’s mother, Cala allegedly fondled her son during his weekly private lessons at the family’s home. It is also alleged that the woman indicated that her son under questioning told her, “Like when I have my music lesson, Mommy, and Mr. Cala touches my pee-pee.”.
Allegedly, Cala fled the state when he learned investigators were going to arrest him.
Reportedly, Cala turned himself over to police in Virginia after Broward Sheriff’s Detective Sylviane Wernath spoke to Cala on the phone Friday and urged him to turn himself in. Wernath advised Virginia State Police of Cala’s location and a state trooper immediately pulled up behind him.
Reportedly, Cala was being held Tuesday at the Pamunkey Regional Jail in Hanover, Va., awaiting extradition to Florida to face charges of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child under 12 and lewd and lascivious conduct.
08/13/10 – Initial BadBadTeacher.com Report)
Joseph Anthony Marino III, 42, a music teacher at Conard High School in West Hartford, Connecticut has reportedly been arrested on allegations of a months-long sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female student.
Reportedly, Marino is charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault.
Marino came to the attention of authorities on August 2, after the minor’s diary was reportedly found in Wethersfield outlining her relationship with the teacher. At that time the student had graduated from the high school.
Marino was confronted by school administrators and asked him to either resign or face termination. Reportedly, Marino resigned on August 9th.
Following his arrest, Marino was released on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court August 26th.
(08/14/09 – Initial BadBadTeacher.com Report)
Matthew H. Lang, 36, band director at Alton High School in Alton, Illinois has reportedly been arrested and charged on allegations of a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old female student.
Lang is reportedly charged with two counts each of criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse and following his arrest was held in the Madison County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bond.
Lang came to the attention of the Madison County Sheriff’s Department when that office received information about the alleged incidents on Tuesday.
Sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant at Lang’s residence and obtained some physical evidence.
Further investigation allegedly revealed that Lang had sex with the student on several occasions at school during normal school hours, and at locations away from school.
A sheriff’s spokesperson says the investigation is continuing and ask that anyone with information to call the Sheriff’s Department at (618) 692-6087.
Mathew Lang became band director at Alton High School following the arrest and conviction of the previous band director, David Drillinger, on allegations involving two female students.
(02/24/10 – Initial BadBadTeacher.com Report)
Philip Bradley Pirkle, 32, a former band director at Thomson Middle School and Thomson-McDuffie County Junior High schools in McDuffie County, Georgia has reportedly been arrested on allegations of an inappropriate conversation on the Internet with a 14 year old girl and possession of child pornography.
Reportedly, Pirkle was arrested on one count of possession of child pornography and one count of using a computer to entice a child for indecent purposes.
Pirkle came to the attention of authorities when the mother of the alleged victim reported communications between her daughter and Mr. Pirkle on MySpace.
Court documents indicate that the two discussed meeting each other for sex.
Court documents also indicate that in one of those e-mails Pirkle allegedly admitted to having sex with one of his students, but never one of his current band students.
Pirkle, who was previously Thomson Middle’s “Teacher of the Year”, resigned from the school system in July of last year as the investigation was getting under way.
(03/23/10 – Initial BadBadTeacher.com Report)
Christopher Caldwell, 25, a music teacher and band instructor at Maiden High School in Maiden, North Carolina has reportedly been indicted by a grand jury on allegations of the sexual abuse of a 17-year-old student.
Reportedly, Caldwell was indicted on one count of sexual activity with a student and one count of taking indecent liberties with a student.
According to the indictment, the incidents happened on or about Wednesday, March 3, and the alleged victim is a the student who attends Maiden High School.
According to the Superintendent of Catawba County Schools, Caldwell, who is in his second year at the school, was suspended with pay on March 4th and subsequently suspended without pay on March 9th.
Reportedly, there will be a school board meeting on Friday morning to address Caldwell’s status with the school system.
The Maiden High band is slated to perform in the 2010 National Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C. and those plans remain in place with a teacher’s assistant substituting as band director during Caldwell’s absence.
(08/02/10 – Initial BadBadTeacher.com Report)
Tyler James Benedict, 30, a band teacher at Heritage High School in Vancouver, Washington has reportedly been arrested on allegations of a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female student.
Reportedly, Benedict is arrested on two counts of first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor.
Benedict came to the attention of authorities when the girl’s parents discovered inappropriate text and computer messages allegedly between their daughter and Benedict.
It is alleged that the student told police she’s known Benedict since her freshman year and that their relationship had become romantic and sexual. It is further alleged that Benedict acknowledged to police that he had a sexual relationship with the girl.
It is alleged that the sexual contact occurred near the end of the 2009-10 school year.
Following his arrest, Benedict was reportedly held in the Clark County Jail with bail set at $20,000.