Local attorney Timothy Reitz, 51, of 1195 Mill Road, Allenwood, was arrested Friday morning on a misdemeanor charge of official oppression for “exchanging nude photos and having a sexual relationship” with a female client after being appointed by a court in early March 2024 to serve as her attorney, it was alleged in court papers filed by county Detective Loretta Badger. “At the time, the victim was homeless, without custody of her children, financially unstable and emotionally vulnerable following a domestic-violence incident,” the investigator stated in an affidavit.

In one encounter with the woman in March of that year, Reitz told her that he had “a problem to handle,” referring to “sexual activity,” Badger said in the document, adding that “sexual touching” allegedly took place between the two. The client told Badger that she and Reitz “engaged in sexual activity several times during the course of the few months that he represented her,” according to the affidavit. “The sexual activity occurred while Reitz remained her attorney of record, during ongoing dependency litigation, impacting the custody of her children,” the investigator said. The charge was filed last week.

The woman stated “she did not verbally refuse Reitz’s (alleged) advances, but felt unable to decline (them) due to his position of authority as her court-appointed attorney as well as her reliance on him to help regain custody of her children and her emotional vulnerability. She also (admitted) to consuming alcohol prior to his visits due to fear and anxiety,” Badger said.

The investigator said that in mid-September 2024, a court order was issued, releasing Reitz as the woman’s attorney and appointing another lawyer to represent her in her legal matters. The woman later “contacted the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board and was informed that Reitz admitted to sending inappropriate sexual messages to her, but denied having sexual (relations) with her,” Badger added. Following his arraignment before District Judge Gary Whiteman, Reitz was released on $7,500 bail.