Four classmates of the alleged victims in a sex abuse case at Severna Park Elementary School provided statements to authorities about inappropriate contact they witnessed from third-grade teacher Matthew Schlegel, court records show.
Schlegel, 43, has been in jail since May, two months after the first allegation was made and he was removed “indefinitely” from his classroom position. The school system placed him in a non-student-facing role while an investigation was completed.
Public schools spokesperson Bob Mosier has repeatedly declined to comment on the case.
A grand jury indicted the former teacher in June on 55 charges, including 11 counts of child sex abuse and 18 counts of fourth-degree sex offense. The indictment substantially increased an already hefty case, which began with 36 offenses that allegedly took place between 2022 and 2024.
Schlegel has been held without bail since his arrest and is scheduled to appear Friday in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court.
According to charging documents, Child Protective Services conducted interviews with eight of Schlegel’s former female students. Schlegel has worked in the Anne Arundel school system since 2008, first at Tyler Heights Elementary before teaching at Severna Park Elementary.
The students told investigators that Schlegel touched or groped them during class or when they went to the bathroom.
At times, the behavior was discreet, made under students’ desks or at his own, police said. Other times, they were made in front of others.
Though detectives noted in charging documents that they spoke to witnesses who observed inappropriate conduct in Schlegel’s classroom, a motion filed in July outlining the state’s evidence showed that four students were interviewed by a team from the Child Advocacy Center, an abuse response facility within the Maryland Department of Human Services.
They described sitting on Schlegel’s lap and not being allowed down; being touched with pencils and fingers on their shoulders and thighs, sometimes over their clothes and sometimes under; doing work near the teacher’s desk without the boys; and hearing their friends talk about what happened to them.
Defense attorney Peter O’Neill declined to comment Thursday.
Schlegel is married with two children. At each of his court appearances, including a virtual one, his family and a large group of supporters sit in the benches. Relatives, family friends, neighbors, a former coworker and a former student submitted letters to the court attesting to his character.
“Even though you’re charged with the worst kind of charges … these are people who are willing to stand up” for Schlegel, O’Neill said in a May 28 hearing.
At the same hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney Anastasia Prigge described Schlegel as “two people” — the family man dedicated to his work and friends, and the predator who used his status as a “beloved teacher” to entrap and victimize his students.
“They can be fervent in their beliefs,” Prigge said, referring to Schlegel’s supporters, “but that doesn’t mean he didn’t abuse children.”
Though Schlegel has been arrested, Child Abuse Unit detectives are asking anyone with information on this or other potential cases to call 410-222-4733. Anonymous tips may also be left on the Anne Arundel County Police Tip Line at 410-222-4700.
Maryland law states evidence occurring before or after the offense can be admitted so long as it is introduced at least 90 days before trial. As of Thursday, a trial date has not been set.
