Bad Bad Teacher

Joseph Robert Ballmann, 47, a seventh-grade English teacher at Robert Frost Middle School in Rockville, Maryland, who is awaiting trial in one child sex abuse case, was arrested again yesterday after a second former pupil told police that Ballamn touched him inappropriately during tutoring sessions several years ago.

Ballmann was first arrested on May 4 after a teenager told police that in 2004, when he was 12 and attended Robert Frost Middle School, Ballmann showed him pornography and sexually molested him at Ballmann’s Rockville home.

Following his first arrest, Ballmann was released on $150,000 bond.

The latest arrest is the result of an allegation by a former Westland Middle School student that in 1995 and 1997 while tutoring the teenager at his Silver Spring home Ballmann fondled the then seventh and eighth-grader. The former student is now 24 and came forward after Ballmann was charged with the alleged 2004 molestation.

In light of the second arrest prosecutors have moved to have Ballmann’s bond on the first charge revoked.

Prosecutors advanced another cause for revoking Ballmann’s bond. It is alleged that when detectives served a search warrant at Ballmann’s home they found a pipe bomb, “a significant amount of explosive materials,” handcuffs, stun guns, knives, chloroform in a sock, and pepper spray.

Ballmann was suspended with pay after his initial arrest. He has been employed by the county school system since 1989 in various capacities. He initially worked as a bus driver and later taught at Westland and Robert Frost.

Ballmann’s attorney says his client plans to plead not guilty to all charges.

Update 7/06/07:

A new grand jury indictment of Joseph Robert Ballman has been issued. The new indictment adds new charges and consolidates the two sets of charges against Ballmann into one case.

Ballmann is now facing two counts of sexual abuse of a minor, three counts of sexual abuse in the third-degree, one count of sexual solicitation of a minor, one count of exhibition of pornography to a minor and two counts of manufacture or possession of a destructive device.

References:

Middle school teacher faces new indictment on sex abuse charges

Teacher Is Charged With Sex Abuse of a Second Student

Teacher Charged With Abuse of 12-Year-Old

Your IP Address is:
98.204.131.95

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 7th, 2007 at 11:16 pm and is filed under English Teachers, ME-MV, Maryland, Middle Schools. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.