A former local school teacher assumed identities on computer chats of a much younger man, stored child pornography on his computer and told authorities he had a thing for his former eighth-grade female students and other pre-teen and teenage girls, prosecutors alleged Wednesday.
Leon Dale Bodle, 42, remains in Lycoming County Prison in lieu of bail. He worked as a substitute teacher at Williamsport Area School District and as a teacher at the Sugar Valley Rural Charter School in Loganton.
In the second day of his trial on Wednesday, Bodle was heard on audiotape testimony being interviewed by Old Lycoming Township police investigators, breaking down and answering questions about his fetishes.
It didn't come easy and was a cat-and-mouse game for more than two hours, before investigators became angry about what they perceived was his failure to divulge the extent of his activities.
"The truth is you're into 14-year-old girls," a police officer can be heard telling Bodle, who faces 41 child-sex related offenses.
On the tape, Bodle, under more probing, admits his affection for a former student who was 14 years of age. She now is 18. Bodle said he dreamed about being married to her but never intended to have sex with her until she was no longer a minor.
"You're a teacher. You came here voluntarily. You know what she is going to say," the officer on the tape said regarding the girl Bodle told other students was his "fiancee."
The line of questioning gets Bodle to admit his chatting with girls was of a sexual nature, but he initially denied that was occurring.
"It got arousing at times," he said. "When they were talking, it wasn't like they were my students or kids.
"I have thought about what it would be like if I had dated her," Bodle said of the main object of his affection.
"Yes," he said, "in a way, I had a thing for her. I have her dog. We're still good friends. Yes, I got bored. Yes, I did dirty-talk."
The taped conversation alleged Bodle took the girl bowling, to musical concerts and to amusement parks.
Police testified Wednesday about finding volumes of literature on pyschology at his residence they alleged he used as part of his grooming process to lure young girls to have sex with him.
Bodle admitted he asked another 14-year-old girl to go to Dorney Park in Allentown and to wear her bikini, but he said it was because they would go swimming at the park's water attractions.
Police didn't believe he was telling them the entire truth in the played-back interviewed done July 18, 2008.
"You have got a thing for 14-year-old girls, admit it," the officer said.
Bodle denied ever touching any of the girls inappropriately and said some of the girls got him into trouble at the charter school by initiating the wrongful conversations.
Later, after police obtained permission to search the computer files, Bodle was read his rights in the presence of township police and an FBI agent.
On the audio tape, Bodle tells police he stored some inappropriate pictures on his computer and assumed identities of much younger men to send and receive instant messages consisting of discussions of sexual matters with teenage girls, some of whom were his former students.
In his cross-examination of the officers' techniques, Bodle's defense attorney James Protasio focused his attention on trying to demonstrate how the investigators were not honest with Bodle concerning whether he would get jail time for his actions.
Protasio's line of questioning suggested police used techniques to get Bodle to admit to something he didn't do.
Out of tens of thousands of images that state police obtained after sweeping and searching the computer files that Bodle used, Protasio asked the investigators if less than 150 images could be considered child pornography.
About 28 pictures that appeared to be child pornography were turned over to Judge Marc F. Lovecchio by Assistant District Attorney Mary C. Kilgus.
Bodle faces charges of criminal solicitation to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, sending obscene and other sexual materials to a minor, sexual abuse of children, criminal use of a computer and corruption of a minor.
Testimony before Lovecchio continues today.
