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John Thomas Lerch, 58, of Allentown was teacher at The Arc.
By Chris Pollock
Of The Morning Call
July 19, 2007
An Allentown man who taught mentally disabled men and women for a Lehigh Valley organization was charged Wednesday with sexually assaulting one of his students.
John Thomas Lerch, 58, of 2320 Grove Road, was an employee of The Arc of Lehigh and Northampton Counties Inc., according to court documents. The Arc provides services for mentally disabled people of all ages, said Executive Director Karen Grady. Lerch was charged with institutional sexual assault and two counts of indecent assault and released with pretrial supervision on $50,000 unsecured bail by District Judge Wayne Maura of Bethlehem.
According to court records:
Lerch was a life skills teacher for The Arc and worked at the organization's facility at 2289 Avenue A, Bethlehem. On June 6, another teacher walked into a classroom and saw Lerch involved in sexual contact with a female student, described as in a wheelchair, unable to speak, and with limited ability to move.
Lerch told the other teacher the student initiated the contact and he didn't stop her because of The Arc's policy against restraining students. The other teacher reported Lerch to the school administration that day.
Grady said Lerch was terminated on June 6. City police Capt. Robert Righi said the charge of institutional sexual assault applies to suspects accused of committing a sex offense against someone they are responsible for in an institutional setting
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