Suspended Williamsport Area High School art teacher held on charges of inappropriate contact with students
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After hearing from the five victims in the case, District Judge Christian Frey ruled there was sufficient evidence to hold Williamsport Area High School suspended art teacher Joshua Michael Larson on all but four charges that stem from him allegedly having inappropriate contact with female students at the school in the first three months of the school. The charges were filed by county Detective Loretta Badger.
Larson, 47, of 2103 Northway Road, was arrested late last month on four counts each of attempted institutional sexual assault and endangering the welfare of children, unlawful contact with a minor, and attempted unlawful contact with a minor, all felonies; as well as five counts each corruption of minors and criminal attempt at corrupting the morals of a minor plus eight counts of harassment.
At the conclusion of the hearing, Larson's defense attorney made a motion to dismiss all the charges, arguing that the presented testimony was not enough to support the allegations.
However, in his ruling, Frey said he disagreed "with defense counsel with respect to the vast majority of the charges, and will hold for trial all the counts with the exception" of the four felony counts of unlawful contact with a minor, which the judge dismissed.
In her criminal complaint and affidavit, Badger alleged that Larson "engaged in indecent contact with five students by intentionally placing his hands and rubbing each of the victims' shoulders and arms." The detective said that Larson "cultivated an emotional relationship with each of the victims by: expressing his love for them, inviting him to his apartment, giving them gifts, and "touching them inappropriately" it was alleged.
Larson, who remains jailed in the Lycoming County Prison on no bail, has been suspended without pay since mid-March, a school district spokeswoman said late Wednesday afternoon.