Ex-teacher jailed for sex assault of student
NORRISTOWN » A former teacher at the Coventry Christian School in Lower Pottsgrove faces about six years of court supervision on charges he had sexual contact with a teenage girl who attended the school.
Scott Brandon Cline, 33, formerly of the 100 block of Berks Street, Pottstown, recently was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 11½ to 23 months in the county jail, to be followed by four years’ probation, after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of school sexual contact with student in connection with incidents that occurred with a 16-year-old girl between February and August 2018.
The sentence, imposed by Judge Richard P. Haaz as part of a plea agreement, means Cline will be under court supervision for a total of about six years.
Cline, who listed a most recent address in Wisconsin, also faces a 25-year requirement to report his address to state police in order to comply with Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act.
The judge said Cline must complete 100 hours of community service and he ordered Cline to stay away from the victim and her family.
Haaz said Cline is not eligible for the jail’s work release program during the period of incarceration. Cline must pay $1,050 in restitution to a victim’s compensation assistance program as part of the plea agreement.
Other charges of corruption of a minor, endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful contact with a minor were dismissed against Cline in exchange for his guilty plea to the most serious charge.
County Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Beeson handled the case.
The investigation began in April 2019, when New Hanover police received information pertaining to statements made by a teenage girl to a therapist, according to court papers. The report, according to a criminal complaint, “indicated that there was a sexual relationship between the juvenile and her former teacher while she was enrolled at the Coventry Christian School.”
The girl subsequently told police that Cline “initiated contact with her by phone” during the 20172018 school year “and a relationship formed which evolved into both verbal and physical contact of a sexual nature,” according to the criminal complaint filed by New Hanover Police Officer Michael Salvo. At the time, the girl was a 16-year-old student at the school and Cline was a 32-year-old instructor at the school, police said.
The first text-based communication with the girl was initiated by Cline on Feb. 16, 2018, police alleged. The investigation uncovered more than 2,500 text messages exchanged between Cline and the girl, many between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m. during the school year.
The investigation revealed Cline had sexual contact with the girl at locations in New Hanover and in his vehicle, according to the criminal complaint.
Court papers appeared to indicate that none of the inappropriate sexual contact occurred on school grounds.
Court documents revealed that in May 2019, a cellphone conversation between the girl and Cline was intercepted by police and county detectives.
“During this communication interception, Scott Cline admitted to certain aspects of his relationship with the victim being ‘illegal’ due to her ‘age,’” Salvo alleged in the arrest affidavit. “He also expressed his concerns pertaining to the effect a court case would have on his family.”
Cline allegedly informed the girl that counselors are “mandated reporters” and asked that the victim refrain from providing details about their relationship to any counselors, according to the criminal complaint.
According to court documents, in May 2019, school officials told New Hanover police that Cline resigned from employment at the school in October 2018.
School officials previously said school administrators cooperated fully with law enforcement. In a June 9 letter to students’ families school officials said the allegations are “very upsetting for all of us” and that “protecting our students and creating a safe learning environment is fundamental to what we do.”