As investigations into alleged inappropriate sexual acts by Virginia coaches Rick Curl and Noah Rucker are heating up, a new one has begun up the coast in Pennsylvania. Jonathan Bell, a coach of Governor Mifflin High School near Reading has been accused by a former student of an inappropriate sexual relationship.
According to the state Attorney General’s office, a criminal complaint has been filed by a former student claiming that the two had intercourse between 10 and 12 times from December of 2010 and June of 2012. The student was 17 when the relationship began.
The complaint was filed on July 5th by the assistant superintendent of the school district. Among the accusations are that Bell asked for, and received, nude photos and videos, that he performed a sexually explicit act on her and video taped it, and had at least one sexual interaction by the pool on school property.
After the complaint, detectives listened in on four phone calls between Bell and the alleged victim between July 23rd and August 6th. In one of those calls, Bell asked “Are you upset that it happened before you were 18?”.
The report didn’t specify how many of the accusations happened before the victims 18th birthday.
Bell was an art teacher, as well as a coach of the swimming and water polo teams.
The charges filed are two counts of unlawful contact with a minor, one count of corruption of minors, and one count of criminal solicitation. He is being held in Berks County Prison with bail set at $200,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Next Monday.
Marisa Rebuffe Lorah says:
August 31, 2012 at 6:17 amI worked at several Reading law firms,
Marisa Rebuffe Lorah says:
August 26, 2012 at 6:45 pmI do not work in Berks County
Note:Reading is in Berks County
If you guys would like to continue your discussion off-site, I’d be happy to facilitate it, but I’m not sure anything else is being accomplished with this conversation.
Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence. What am I doing wrong in defending somebody not yet brought to trial?
Where the law goes wrong is when the accusers’ characters are not brought into question. Why wait years and years to report an attack? Had these incidents occurred two weeks or months ago, perhaps more people would take them seriously. I would think they’ll have a difficult time finding a jury who will hear these stories.
Jonathan Bell is an innocent man until such time as it is proven IN… Read more »
Yes, I have worked at several Berks County law firms. I do not currently work anywhere. Is that a contradiction?
Marissa i’m excited to see the outcome of this case so we can all see what a moron you are jon has been victimizing females and children for years and when he gets to his new home he will be someones plaything now thats justice
I am more concerned that a mother of a child believes that a 15 year old can consent to sex. For the protection of the child, that needs to be legally addressed.
An investigation will be performed as to whether the girls were on the Pill, their medical histories will become evidence, whether they were sexually active prior to or during the alleged attacks – their characters can and will become an integral part of the trial (if it gets that far) by subpoenaing former boyfriends, etc. The law is very intricate. I worked for law firms in three states. I worked on many very interesting cases in San Diego. Some verdicts are shockers. One case in particular ended up with the defendants paying millions to the plaintiff who won only because he had ONE highly credible (lying) witness.
Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defense.
It’s too bad that none of these girls felt they could go to their parents and tell them that they were being sexually abused by a teacher/coach. In Europe, sports are not included in school curriculums. Students must attend after-school clubs to participate in sports. I know. I lived there. People are more fit in Europe and most speak several languages. My son’s French half-sister swims, is a high diver, an equestrian, and may do other sports as well. She speaks four languages and has an M.B.A. The main conundrum here is why the “victims” did not go to their parents at the first alleged indecency by their coach. I think they will be pummeled in court by Atty. Sodomsky.… Read more »
The law says they have six years from their 21 birthday to report this do Marissa you truly are an idiot
Well said Dave. I ignored her when she said she worked for 5 different Lawyers in Reading then claimed to never have worked in Reading. She then runs on an on about how great the laws are in France. If they are so much better then why the hell does she not move back?
I worked at several Reading law firms, two in San Diego and one in Boston. Until Jonathan Bell has been proven guilty, by law he is innocent. Period. Did you read my letter in the Reading Eagle? http://readingeagle.com/mobile/article.aspx?id=411111
So you sign the letter Spring Township and do not live in Spring township?
I currently live in Spring Township. Moved here from Boston, moved there from Mission Valley in San Diego. Also lived in France and Belgium. What does that have to do with Jonathan Bell?
If you look at your entire thread your background story keeps changing. So it basically goes against the credibility of all your posts. I would also assume future employers will be doing internet searches on you prior to hire, and based on these numerous posts on this site, as well as others, good luck in finding a job.
I met Jon Bell in College. We were on the swim team together. I initially looked up to him but then my better judgement cuaght up with me. Most of our mutual friends would sence something was off with him as well and we would often say how something like the crimes he aledgedly commited could one day happen. If only we could go back in time and report him then. To some it up I am not surprised this he is acused of this or that it started back in 2003.
I’m curious to know how his male students and athletes feel about him. Did he try to win their trust? Did he get close to them and make them feel better about themselves? Did he exchange phone numbers with them? Clearly he was grooming these girls so that they would trust him. Why would this charming man who listened to their problems and built up their self confidence have any intentions of hurting them? I’m sure he made them feel very special … making them easy victims and him a successful predator. As was said before, there should be no shame for the victims. He was an adult who abused his power and charm to manipulate and take advantage of… Read more »
Why do you think there is always a female present in the room when a male doctor examines a female patient? Everybody’s out to file lawsuits. When I was examined in France during my pregnancy, it was only me and a male doctor. I laid on a slanting board. Only in the U.S. do these sick false accusations of sexual violation occur. Also, did the girl(s) in question use Jonathan Bell as a scapegoat when their parents found out that they were sexually active (with other guys)? Oh, blame it on Bell. I didn’t lose my virginity in the backseat of a car – Bell raped me. Also, in other countries, the female accuser’s character is taken into account.
This is an active criminal investigation. We should not have individuals like Marisa claiming to work in law, know the defense lawyers and then giving her opinions to an ACTIVE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION. There is no way a person who works in law would make these posts under their real name. I can only assume that someone is pretending to be Marisa to make her look like an idiot. Please forward the posts along with the emails, ISP, info etc to: E-MAIL: [email protected] I also suggest you block this person from posting on the site.
I do not work in Berks County. I was an employee of a San Diego defense law firm which specialized in high-profile cases. I was entrusted with confidential information in very important cases which, to this day, I have never spoken about outside the office. I also worked in Boston handling cases. I took my opinions to the Reading Eagle regarding the Bell matter and they chose to publish it. (See first letter in today’s edition.) I believe that you and others who post here suffer from misandry.
PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE
Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defense.
a lot of these girls are scared. they are scared of what the community is going to think of them. some of them have families that have no idea. the preliminary hearing will probably be sometime this fall. please keep these girls in your prayers and give them support. you have no idea what your support will mean to them as they stand up and face someone who was loved by most of the community. some have family and friends that will be just finding out about what happened to them after they hid it from everyone for several years. they are ashamed and embarrassed. Just please, keep the support coming.
I understand. Though the shame is not theirs (it is his) it must be so difficult. I’m praying for all who have been victimized, all who have lost their innocence. It is my hope that the families, friends, and community will surround them with support and love. Some may say they were old enough to know what they were doing. But the truth is predators target the vulnerable. Blessings to all who have the courage to tell the truth and to confront injustice.
Uh, the girls were scared? So Jonathan Bell FORCED them to have sex? I’d like to know whether these poor young things were virgins. At one time that was a very important factor in “rape” cases. But then again, this was CONSENSUAL sex and the charges should be thrown out.
Did you even read the report on the 15 year old girl’s report? She had no idea what has happening. If you think it is okay for a 15 year old girl to have sex with someone that is over 18, then you are an idiot.
A school should not hire a young person of the opposite sex to give swimming lessons. They are clad in bare attire and the coach must touch or hold the student to teach them. Both were young. The school is most at fault (they should have females teaching females and males teaching males – when I went to school it would have been unthinkable to have a male gym or swimming coach for girls and for good reason). A crucial point here, and one that the defense lawyer will argue, is why the girl did not report the alleged incident(s) sooner. Time is important in criminal cases and much time has passed since the first incident(s). I work in the… Read more »
You claim to be in the legal field. If true, then you would know better then to be calling the Reading Eagle since it is an active investigation. You do not live here. What the hell are you going to contribute? If the laws in France are better then the USA I suggest you move back, since you are no under American Law. I am also disgusted by those that feel the need to comment on this and obviously have not read any of the public information. Also recognize that you cannot hide behind any of these posts and you can legally be held accountable for what you post., as one poster found out earlier in the week.
I did not “call” the Reading Eagle. I wrote a Letter to the Editor after seeing another Letter to the Editor regarding the case (in favor of Bell). I received a phone call from one of the editors and he told me to change a small part of my letter. He said he would publish it if I did. We then had a miscommunication over something minor – he said he left me a message and I didn’t respond and I told him that I don’t have an answering machine. I looked up this guy’s name (the editor) and he has a history of being unpleasant. I believe you were the one who mentioned my son and sports. Let me… Read more »
Okay we have a 15 year old girl who had no clue what Jon was doing when he had sex with her. We have a 17 yr old. We have Bells devastated family. We have his wife of 1 year as of the end of July equally devastated. We have 2 schools upset over this. We have Water Polo players and Swim team members who still are struggling that they were betrayed by their coach, and now we have you choosing to post that your son saw a 60 year old doing jumping jacks without a bra? WHY DO I WASTE MY TIME. Unlike you, I personally know Jon and his brother. I know his father-in-law. I also know the… Read more »
If you personally know Jonathan Bell, YOU could get in trouble by revealing certain things. Sounds like you have a gripe with the family or personally know one or more of the “poor young things” who were victimized by this “sexual deviate.” It is said that today, more girls are the ones focused on sex than in the past, when it was usually men. Ah, women’s lib.
I predict either a light sentence or full vindication of Mr. Jonathan Bell when all facts are brought to light. Allan Sodomsky is a brilliant lawyer. One of his few failed cases was the Roseboro murder but that was a complicated and difficult case to defend. Sodomsky wrote a book about the… Read more »
3 more from miflin and 4 from Exeter on the way
Its just upsetting his career and everything had to go away like this because of his dumb and horrible behavior. People are unbelievable today .
I hear you. I just see some peole writing that the young lady consented so there is no crime. I believe any time a person has power/control/influence over another person as does a teacher or a coach, it is their responsibility to remain in control. I know this family and live near the community. It’s a shock. However, I have heard there will be more allegations–including some from when he apparently worked at another school district. Such a waste of a career and a life.
I completely agree! You couldn’t have said it better.