The former choir director and chair of the music department at Central Bucks West High School in Doylestown Borough is facing charges of hiding cameras in his home and filming a former student undressing there without his knowledge, according to the Bucks County District Attorney’s office.
Joseph G. Ohrt, 56, of Buckingham, is also charged with attempting to destroy the recording devices and invasion of privacy, court records show.
The four counts each of possessing a device for intercepting communications and one count of intercepting communications are third degree felonies. The charges of tampering with evidence and invasion of privacy are misdemeanors, the DA said.
Ohrt was arraigned Tuesday by District Judge Maggie Snow, who set bail at 10% of $50,000. He did not post the money, according to court documents, and was taken to the Bucks County Correctional Facility. On Wednesday, jail officials said Ohrt was no longer at the Doylestown Township facility.
Ohrt, a highly regarded teacher in the district for 34 years, is credited with establishing a premier music program within Central Bucks, where he taught Alecia Moore, later known as Pink. She went on to win a Grammy.
He requested a leave of absence on Oct. 26, until his June 10 date of retirement, according to reporting from the Bucks County Courier Times.
Authorities said the investigation into Ohrt began May 9, 2021, after a Childline report alleged the potential sexual assault of a former student of Ohrt. The victim was identified as a former male student who graduated from CB West in 2016.
The student said Ohrt began mentoring him during his junior year at the school and that some of Ohrt’s behavior when they were alone made him feel uncomfortable. He described the relationship as “conflicted,” according to court records, the district attorney’s office said in a statement. During that period, the victim told detectives, Ohrt told him he loved him.
The two maintained a close relationship after the student graduated and the young man eventually moved into a bedroom in Ohrt’s house, records said. When the victim was about 19, he traveled to New York City with Ohrt for a Broadway show, where they shared a hotel room and the same bed. Ohrt allegedly bought wine, which the two drank.
During another trip, the victim told authorities, Ohrt made sexual advances, which the victim declined. After that, he said, he believed Ohrt had only befriended him in high school to develop a sexual relationship.
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