Jurisdiction may change for Bethel Park teacher charged in internet sex case
The preliminary hearing for the Bethel Park health teacher charged earlier this month by North Strabane Township police in an internet sex case was continued Monday because it may now be prosecuted in Allegheny County.
Brian Douglas Scott, 46, of 1589 Lucille Drive, had been scheduled for a July 16 preliminary hearing before District Judge Jay Weller on charges of unlawful contact with a minor, open lewdness and criminal use of a communications facility.
Scott was suspended from his position by the school district when he was arrested July 6. He also was banned from school district property. At the time of his arraignment, Scott told Weller he had been a teacher in the district for 22 or 23 years.
Officer Gary Scherer, the officer who filed the charges, said the district attorneys from Washington and Allegheny counties are determining where the case should be prosecuted since both counties have jurisdiction. The case could be filed at the district judge office in Bethel Park, since that is where Scott resides.
Scherer, who is a member of the Pennsylvania Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, was monitoring a teen chat room for people ages 13 to 19 on June 20. Posing in an undercover capacity as a 15-year-old girl from the North Strabane area, Scherer was allegedly contacted by Scott, who was posing as a 17-year-old boy from the Pittsburgh area.
Weller reminded Scott Monday the bond conditions placed on him at his arraignment remain in effect. Scott, who is free on $50,000 unsecured bond, is to have no access to the internet and is to have no unsupervised contact with children other than his own. He is also to remain off the property of public or private schools, day care centers and parks or playgrounds where children may be present.
The hearing has been rescheduled for Sept. 4 before Weller if the case remains in Washington County’s jurisdiction.