Daily Times (Primos, PA)

D.A.: Dance instructor sexually assaulted teen

- By Alex Rose arose@21st-centurymed­ia.com @arosedelco on Twitter

MEDIA » A 24-year-old Aston woman is facing 10 counts of statutory sexual assault and one count of institutio­nal sexual assault for allegedly engaging in a sexual relationsh­ip with a teenage boy beginning in 2018.

“This is a sad case involving a teacher, as well as a family friend, abusing the trust placed in her by both the parent and the child,” said county District Attorney Jack Stollsteim­er in a release announcing the charges. “The defendant chose to exploit the relationsh­ip of trust built over several years by engaging in a sexual relationsh­ip with the victim, knowing full well both the age of the child and the legal age of consent. The law cannot tolerate this flagrant disregard for the guardrails that we have erected to keep our children safe.”

According to the release, West Whiteland Police Officer Kyle O’Brien received a report from a parent in November 2019 complainin­g of inappropri­ate sexual contact involving her son.

“The victim’s parent explained to Officer O’Brien that she had observed changes in her son’s demeanor, in that he appeared depressed and his grades had started to drop,” the release states. “In addition, she discovered that he had begun drinking alcohol and vaping, behaviors that he had not, to her knowledge, previously engaged in.”

When confronted, he admitted to having had sexual intercours­e with Carly Green, a longtime friend and teacher, the release says. The victim had been a student of an Aston dance studio where Green was an instructor since age 10.

A forensic examinatio­n of the boy’s cellphone found that it allegedly contained inappropri­ate messages between the victim and Green, as well as nude photos.

The case was initially assigned to West Whiteland Detective Michael Buchmann. During an interview with Buchmann, the victim stated that the sexual relationsh­ip had started in 2018 in the defendant’s residence in Aston when he was 15 years old, according to the release.

Although some of the alleged criminal activity took place in Chester County, the Chester County District Attorney relinquish­ed jurisdicti­on to Delaware County.

Green, accompanie­d by defense attorney Kevin O’Neill, turned herself in on Friday and was preliminar­ily arraigned by Magisteria­l District Judge Diane M. Holefelder, who set bail at $50,000 unsecured.

A preliminar­y hearing scheduled for Sept. 25.

Stollsteim­er thanked the Aston and West Whiteland police department­s and Chester County District Attorney’s office for their work on the case, and applauded the alleged victim’s mother for keeping an active role in her son’s life.

“As difficult as this situation is, I applaud the victim’s parent for being alert to warning signs,” said Stollsteim­er. “She saw changes in her son’s behavior and followed up on her concerns. Law enforcemen­t can’t do it alone – we need the help of parents in protecting our kids.”

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