Montgomery Co. Teacher Charged With Sexually Assaulting 16-Year-Old Student
ROCKVILLE, Md. (WJZ)-- A Montgomery County teacher faces several charges.
Gigi Barnett reports he is accused of sexually assaulting one of his students.
Scott Spear, 47, coaches the girls' track team at Richard Montgomery High School.
On Thursday, police arrested and charged him with fourth-degree sex offense against one of his students-- a 16-year-old girl.
"If she had been younger, like 14 or 15 years of age, it would have been bumped up to a third-degree sex offense," an officer with the Montgomery County Police Department said.
Last month, police say the county's Family Crimes Unit received an anonymous tip that a 16-year-old student at the school had engaged in sexual intercourse with Spear.
The tipster told detectives that the abuse may have occurred back in April or May, when Spear allegedly contacted the student and took her to a house in Rockville where he assaulted her twice.
Reaction at the school is mixed.
"I don't really want to believe all of the gossip that's going around before it's proven," Samantha Brown, a Richard Montgomery High student, said.
"I am actually shocked. He was actually my teacher in the eighth-grade. I didn't expect this to happen," said another.
Police say Spear was the student's track coach at Montgomery High School and was also one of her eighth-grade middle school teachers.
"I don't think he did it."
Brian Stetter says Spear was his eighth-grade history teacher at Julius West Middle School.
"He just doesn't strike me as that kind of guy," he said.
Spear has been in the school system for 24 years.
