After a public announcement last month, new charges were filed against a retired Pennsylvania choir teacher for indecent assault on minors.
Joseph Ohrt was a former teacher of the Central Bucks West High School choir in Doylestown. He was arrested in February for allegedly recording a former student changing his clothes without his permission.
Two adult men have come forward to say they had inappropriate contact with Ohrt when they were children in the 1990s, Bucks County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.
Ohrt’s lawyer did not respond immediately to NBC News’ request for comment.
According to a criminal case filed this month, a man claimed he was Ohrt’s student at Linden Elementary School in 1991 when he was around 11 years old. According to the complaint, G.G. recalled an incident where Ohrt allegedly escorted the man to the music room at the end of school, touching him in inappropriate ways, and offering to teach him the piano.
G.G. Ohrt sat G.G. According to the complaint, Ohrt sat G.G. on the piano bench. He initially guided his fingers on the keys of the piano.
The complaint stated that Ohrt touched G.G.’s penis with two thumbs during this interaction. “Ohrt then touched G.G.’s penis with his hand, putting his hand below his pants and underwear.”
According to the complaint, Ohrt was alerted by the principal and guidance counselor of the elementary school and he moved on to the high school. G.G. was a senior high school student at Central Bucks West High School. He attended Central Bucks West High School and would later see Ohrt who, according to the complaint, would “occasionally call him a rats.”
The Central Bucks School district, which includes Linden Elementary School as well as Central Bucks West High school, didn’t immediately respond to a request.
H.H. was a second man who claimed to have known Ohrt for many years and “was active in all of the choirs Ohrt was directing at the time.” The complaint stated. Detectives were able to hear him recount a 1996 incident he had while babysitting Ohrt and Ohrt.
“While in basement H.H. According to the complaint, Ohrt approached him behind him and wrapped his arms around him. He then touched H.H.’s underwear.” H.H. said that he tried to get out of the situation. He stated that Ohrt then hugged him and kissed his cheeks.
Ohrt was charged in two counts of corruption of minors: one count each of indecent attack on a person younger than 14 years and one count each of indecent attack on a person younger than 16 years.
Ohrt was already facing charges for invasion of privacy, tampering or fabricating evidence and fabrication of physical evidence. This allegation involved a secret recording Ohrt made on behalf a former student.
A.A. told police that he had graduated high school in 2016, and that he started going to Ohrts’ home during his junior year and senior year. A criminal complaint was filed in February.
According to the complaint, A.A. claimed that Ohrt told her he loved and touched him inappropriately during his senior year. According to the complaint, A.A. moved into Ohrt’s room at one time and traveled together to Kansas City for a choir convention.
A.A. claimed that Ohrt touched him during the Kansas City trip. This woke him up, according to the complaint. According to the complaint, Ohrt denied his sexual advances to A.A. and said that he believed Ohrt was seeking a sexual relationship with him at school.
The complaint stated that a young man was summoned by police to speak with Ohrt in October 2021, one month after Bucks County Detectives tried to contact him but left a business card at Ohrt’s home.
Detectives were told by the man that he had moved into Ohrt’s room in 2021. He also found Ohrts card at his door. Ohrt called the man on Oct. 26 2021 and asked him to leave. The man then placed “various items” inside the van of the man while he was moving out.
Ohrt allegedly gave him a laptop and claimed he watched porn on the screen, but that he had also run the computer under water. According to the complaint, Ohrt requested that he dispose of the laptop and other bags in the van in an “nonpublic way.”
He gave all his items to detectives who “found four hidden cameras devices among the items,” according to the complaint.
The complaint stated that one device was a smart clock cube and three were cell phone block wall charging devices. “The devices were designed to secretly record to SD cards.”
According to the complaint, audio and video were found on one of the SD Cards. The images included A.A.’s genitals while he was changing his clothes. According to the complaint, A.A. was “visibly shaken” and “in distress” when detectives alerted to the video. He claims he didn’t consent to it or had knowledge of it.
An external drive and the damaged laptop were taken to the FBI forensic laboratory, where “numerous pornographic videos and images” were found.
In February, Ohrt was also charged with four counts of possession sale distribution manufacture or advertisement of electronic or mechanical devices and telecommunications identification interception devices, as well as one count each of interception of communications.
According to court records, Ohrt did not plead guilty to any of the charges. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 21. After taking a leave last year, Ohrt was able to retire from Central Bucks West High School. According to NBC Philadelphia, Ohrt is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on March 21.
