Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Garnet Valley teacher busted for sexual video chat
A Garnet Valley special education teacher has been charged with possessing instruments of crime, indecent exposure and open lewdness for allegedly masturbating during a video call with a 2020 high school graduate over the summer.
Derek Spencer Vattelana, 39, of the first block of Brittany Lane in Glemoore, Chester County, was arrested by Pennsylvania State Police troopers Thursday and preliminarily arraigned before Magisterial District Judge David H. Lang, according to online court records.
No defense attorney is listed on court records and attempts to reach Vattelana for comment were unsuccessful.
State Trooper Joseph
Metzinger states in an affidavit of probable cause thathemet with the alleged 18-year-old victim concerning a Snapchat video call that took place June 27.
The woman told Metzinger during an interview July 7 that she had been Snapchat messaging Vattelana at her boyfriend’s home in Chester Heights when Vattelana requested she video chat with him, according to the affidavit.
The alleged victim said the video showed Vattelana lying down on his back with the phone facing himfrom below his waist. Vattelana allegedly showed the victim his penis “numerous times” during the conversation, which the alleged victim estimated to have taken at least 15 minutes but maybe closer to half an hour.
Vattelana appeared to be alone and drinking a bottle of beer, according to the affidavit. The alleged victim said he got up once to get a drink from the kitchen, but otherwise remained lying down and that she could see the tip of his penis. She said she had not enticed Vattelana to show her his penis and that it was completely unwarranted, according to the affidavit.
“The victim related it appeared as though he was waiting for her to acknowl
edge what he was doing, but she didnot because shewas in shock,” the affidavit says. “She related she kept trying to end the conversation but Vattelana kept trying to get her to talk. Towards the end of the conversation, the victim related that Vattelana was visibly masturbating.”
The alleged victim’s boyfriend also told investigators that he was in the room for the last five minutes of the call, which he estimated was about 10 or 15 minutes long. He briefly said hello to Vattelana and said it appeared he was lying down on a bed, according to the affidavit. At one point the boyfriend said he looked over and saw Vattelana’s
screen shaking, the affidavit says. After the call, the boyfriend said the alleged victim became upset and toldhimshe sawVattelana’s penis multiple times, and that it looked like he was masturbating, according to the affidavit.
During a recorded July 30 interview with Metzinger and Trooper Gregory Janosko, Vattelana allegedly said he believed the video chat only lasted 30 to 60 seconds and that the alleged victim wanted to discuss what had happened during her senior week.
He said he was walking around his apartment, folding laundry and doing dishes during the call, according to the affidavit, but deniedmasturbating or showing the 18-year-old his penis. When asked if the alleged victimwas lying, Vattelana
allegedly responded that “maybe in hermind she is telling the truth,” the affidavit says.
“Vattelana stated, ‘ With me sitting down, if I had the camera pointed a certain way, maybe she thought she did see it,’ in reference to his penis,” the affidavit says.
Metzinger executed a search warrant on Vattelana’s phone after the interview and found that immediately following the June 26 call, he had viewed a pornographic video on Pornhub.com.
The affidavit indicated Metzinger was also present for a call between the alleged victim and Vattelana on July 9. The details of that call were not included in the affidavit, but Vattelana allegedly again viewed multiple videos involving teenage women on Pornhub.com
after the call was ended, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit identifies Vattelana’s cell phone and his alleged “intent to employ it criminally” as the instrument of crime. The other two charges relate to the alleged nature and content of the call.
Garnet Valley School District Superintendent Marc Bertrando issued a letter to the community Friday informing them of Vattelana’s arrest and expressing “extreme disappointment.” The letter noted the alleged incident occurred outside of school and when the alleged victimwas no longer a student.
“It’s important to note that the police are confident that there is only one victim,” the letter states. “Mr. Vattelana is now on administrative leave, and school officials have confiscated his school keys and computer as well as terminated his access to the building and district network. Certainly, if any further information or details arise, we will contact the police immediately.”
The letter notes the district’s director of safety and security alerted police to the alleged incident in early July, but troopers urged the district not to take any action or contact Vattelana while the investigation was ongoing.
Bertrando said Vattelana passed all child abuse and criminal history clearances prior to his being hired in 2006 and that he had no prior reports of misconduct. The letter indicates Vattelana was responsible for approximately 18 to 25 students and that the district has directly contacted those parents.
“As we talk with students in the coming days and weeks, we hope to help them work through their concerns and reassure them that while Mr. Vattelana certainly betrayed the community’s trust, there are many adults in their lives who can be trusted and relied upon,” the letter states. “It’s a difficult thing for anyone to experience, and we are very sorry this crisis has occurred in our community especially at a time when everyone is dealing with so much difficulty.”
Vattelana has been released on $50,000 unsecured bail pending a preliminary hearing Oct. 1 before District Judge Walter Strohl.