Former Central Bucks West High School choir director pleaded no contest to charges of indecent assault, tampering with evidence

The once highly regarded choir director with the Central Bucks School District pleaded no contest Oct. 13 to a number of charges including indecent assault and corruption of minors.
Joseph G. Ohrt appeared in Bucks County court with his attorney to enter the plea. While it is not an admission of guilt, it is an acknowledgment that the prosecution’s evidence is such that it could prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt to a judge or jury.
The 56-year-old won’t be sentenced for approximately 90 days, following a state board’s evaluation to determine if should be registered as a sexually violent predator, said Bucks County Judge Jeffery Finley.
Ohrt remains free on bail. He could face up to 15 years in jail if the maximum sentences were imposed. Some of the lesser charges carry suggested probation penalties. All the charges carry fines, ranging from $ 2,500 to $10,000. Under the terms of his plea, the former CB West High School choir teacher and chair of the music department, has 10 days to register with the Pennsylvania State Police as a sex offender.

In February, Ohrt was charged with invasion of privacy for hiding cameras in an adult former student’s room in Ohrt’s Buckingham home, where he was staying. Ohrt videotaped the man undressing there without his knowledge, according to court documents. He later attempted to destroy the evidence.
In a later charge, Ohrt was charged with sexually assaulting two boys, one 11 years old and the other 13, in the early 1990s.
Ohrt taught at multiple schools in the district, including Linden, Buckingham, Doyle and Gayman elementary schools; Unami and Tamanend middle schools and CB West. He also taught at summer camps at Cold Spring Elementary and CB South High School, the DA said.

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