A local attorney under investigation for allegedly abusing his eight children for several years has had his bail revoked due to alleged violations of its conditions.

Matthew Zeigler, of Cogan Station, allegedly tailed his alleged minor victims in defiance of court instruction that he shall have no contact with them.

“It is believed, and therefore averred, that Defendant Matthew Zeigler took the above-described actions with the intent to intimidate, scare and compel alleged victims to not testify against him and/or co-defendent Christine Zeigler,” court documents read.

John B. Leete ordered Zeigler be taken into custody and his former bail of $100,000 be revoked.

Zeigler allegedly followed several of his alleged victims at the grocery store, and parked his car directly facing the children’s resource parent’s vehicle as he picked the children up from the store from the children’s court-appointed special advocate.

Additionally, Zeigler circled the area of the Children and Youth Services office while his alleged minor victims were inside and later drove directly in front of the group as they left that office.

Zeigler allegedly followed one victim into a grocery store around Jan. 1 of this year, and later stopped his vehicle adjacent to cars containing alleged minor victims once in January and another time in February.

On March 2 and March 10, the court denied a previous motion to revoke Zeigler’s bail.

“The Court notes that there are disturbing and unexplained issues raised in this matter which do not rise to the level of express violations of express conditions of bail,” the court wrote, explicitly warning Zeigler to stay away from the alleged victims in his pending case.

On April 14, Zeigler allegedly followed his alleged victim at a grocery store.

“(The alleged minor victim) was visibly frightened, and stated, ‘I’m afraid of him,’ and ‘I don’t want to see him,'” Nancy Penfield, a court-appointed special advocate, reported.

Chad Riley, a resource parent, had been at the grocery store at that time to meet Penfield and the minor. He said he observed Zeigler’s Nissan Rogue parked immediately in front of his own Ford Escape.

The alleged minor victim yelled, “You didn’t protect me!” at Riley upon meeting them that day.

On April 19, Zeigler allegedly parked his Nissan Rogue directly facing Riley’s Ford Escape when Riley took another minor child victim to the grocery store.

When the two returned, they found Zeigler sitting in the driver’s seat with his windows down, looking directly at Riley and the alleged minor victim.

“Riley said [the alleged minor victim] was negatively affected by the actions of [Zeigler]” court documents say.

Zeigler currently faces eight counts of endangering the welfare of children, three counts of intimidation of witnesses, three counts of obstructing the administration of law and two counts of indecent assault.

Zeigler will be held in the Lycoming County prison.