By The newspaper
01 Sep 2023, 01:30 AM EDT
William Sperl, a 60-year veteran teacher with the BOCES organization in Eastern Suffolk, Long Island, NY, was arrested on suspicion of having sex with a teenage girl on multiple occasions.
Following an investigation, Sperl was arrested at the Eastern Suffolk BOCES headquarters located on Martha Avenue in Bellport around noon Tuesday.
Sperl is currently Professor of Audio Production at the Riverhead Campus of Eastern Suffolk BOCES. He allegedly had a sexual relationship for months with a student in 2020 when she was 16, according to authorities.
The defendant, a Deer Park resident, pleaded “not guilty” Wednesday to four counts of rape and seven counts of criminal sexual acts, all felonies.
“All of the incidents occurred during his junior term, when he was 16 years old, between the months of June and October 2020,” said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison.
Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) is a shared educational services program provided to school districts by the New York State Legislature.
Harrison says the acts occurred at various locations, including the BOCES campus in Bellport, several beaches in Suffolk County and at Sperl’s residence, he reported. News 12.
The superintendent of BOCES at Eastern Suffolk said in a statement: “The teacher will be assigned home and all classes will move forward with qualified BOCES instructors to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted start to the school year for all students.”
Sperl’s attorney, John LoTurco, said his client is a “pillar of his community” and has been a deacon at his church for 17 years. “We are going to fully investigate these allegations,” he said.
Sperl’s wife was in the courtroom to support her husband of 30 years. A protection order was ordered for the unidentified victim.
All charges are mere accusations and those charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Sperl must return to court this Friday, September 1. Detectives ask anyone with information on this case to contact the Special Victims Section at 631-852-6361.
In a similar case, a 33-year-old married teacher was arrested last week and charged with sexually abusing a teenage student in Queens (NYC). Her husband has defended her.
Jamall Russell, a DOE school employee, was previously arrested and charged with molesting a 15-year-old. Earlier this month, a young New York City public school teacher was arrested on suspicion of exchanging sexual text messages with a 16-year-old student.
Days before, a math teacher was sued, fired and accused of child abuse charges for allegedly filming an 11-year-old Hispanic student with his cell phone in the bathroom of a prestigious Catholic boys’ school in Manhattan (NYC).
In July, Richard Leaf, a 75-year-old former teacher and well-known Westchester County (NY) high school sportscaster, admitted to receiving child pornography. In June Steven Marksberry, a New York police officer assigned to the Bronx, was arrested at his Long Island home for alleged possession of child pornography.
In April Damon Rallis, former vice chairman of the Southold Town (Long Island) Democratic Committee and former leader of the city’s Boy Scout troop, pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography. Also that month, a Latino construction worker was charged with consuming child pornography in New Jersey.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) warned since 2020 of an increase in cases of child pornography due to the longer time spent by adults and children online during the pandemic. If you are a victim or suspect that someone is being mistreated, especially if they are a minor or elderly person:
I looked for help
- Call 988 or 1.888.NYCWELL (1.888.692.9355).
- Text “WELL” to 65173.
- Review information at https://nycwell.cityofnewyork.us/es/ and www.988lineadevida.org