Mt. Lebanon school board member arrested in Florida on child sex charge

DAVENPORT, Fla. (KDKA) - A Mt. Lebanon School District board member was arrested in Florida on a felony child sex charge, the Polk County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday. 

According to investigators, a 17-year-old girl said she was sexually assaulted by 34-year-old Andrew Freeman on July 4. 

The sheriff's office said the victim was in the Davenport area for vacation with family and friends, including Freeman.

Investigators said the victim accused Freeman of sitting down next to her in a room and sexually assaulting her. The sheriff's office said a family member walked in and saw Freeman in front of the girl "nearly nose-to-nose." 

Freeman initially denied the allegations, but investigators said he admitted to assaulting the victim, saying that "mistakes were made." 

"Andrew Freeman has violated the trust of his friends and the people who elected him to the school board," Sheriff Grady Judd said in a news release. "I have a feeling the people of Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania no longer want his services with the schools, let alone want him near their children again. He sexually battered a child. What was he thinking?" 

The sheriff's office said Freeman was arrested Wednesday and charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor, a second degree felony. 

"The conduct described in the release is reprehensible and totally inconsistent with any community's expectations of a school board member," the Mt. Lebanon School District said in a statement. "We have been in contact with the Polk County Sheriff's Office and are closely monitoring those proceedings," the district said in a statement.