Former Severna Park teacher accused of sexual abuse remains in prison

Matthew Schlegel, a former teacher at Severna Park Elementary School in Anne Arundel County, was denied bail for the second time Friday afternoon.

He faces 55 charges related to sexual abuse of minors that could result in decades in prison if convicted. Eight children from different grades have accused Schlegel of inappropriate touching. He was arrested in May, months after Anne Arundel County Public Schools launched an investigation into allegations that he sexually abused students.

The former third-grade teacher attended the hearing in Anne Arundel District Court in Annapolis virtually from the county detention center. About 50 adults sat in the gallery, many of them wearing pink to show their support for the students who accused Schlegel of abuse. Schlegel's father and wife were also in attendance.

Schlegel’s defense attorney Peter O'Neill, of the law firm Murnane and O'Neill, told Judge Mark Crooks that this case contains the most extensive evidence he has ever had to work with. He said the 50 hours of video interviews with students were difficult to review with his client through plexiglass and a prison phone. The footage shows students pointing at body parts, which cannot be captured in a transcript, he said.

While fighting for his client's release, O'Neill noted that no adults witnessed the alleged abuse and that there were inconsistencies in the students' accounts of events. The defense attorney also cited evidence of meetings between parents.

O'Neill said Schlegel, who worked in Anne Arundel County public schools for 17 years, would stay with his parents in Montgomery County, arguing he would not harm himself or others. He has no criminal history, has never been accused of abuse and has three lawyers his family would not have paid if he had planned to flee, O'Neil said.

Assistant District Attorney Sean Fox said he felt like he was experiencing déjà vu when he heard O'Neill make the same arguments he had made during a previous bail review when a judge had initially denied Schlegel's bail.

Fox played video interviews with eight students, identified only by a number and initials, describing the alleged abuse. Some people cried as they listened, put their heads in their hands and handed out tissues.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Anastasia Prigge rejected O'Neil's arguments, saying the discrepancies were simply, as is often the case, exaggerated statements by children. The fact that Schlegel lives with his parents does not guarantee safety for children in Montgomery County and “it is quite difficult to teach children who are not in the same class.”

The judge ruled in favor of the prosecution and found that the inconsistencies did not outweigh the other evidence presented by the state.

The trial against Schlegel is scheduled for December 3.

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