Hannah Elizabeth Marth (ESU Warriors)
A 26-year-old teacher and athletic coach in Pennsylvania has been arrested and charged with a pair of felonies for allegedly having a yearlong inappropriate sexual relationship with a teenage student who was a member of the school's track and field program.
Hannah Elizabeth Marth was taken into custody and charged with one count each of institutional sexual assault and sexual assault by a sports official, both of which are third-degree felonies, prosecutors announced.
According to a press release from the Office of the Northampton District Attorney, Marth in May 2021 was a javelin coach for the Northampton Area High School Track and Field team. The alleged victim, a 17-year-old male, was a student and "active participant" on the high school's track and field team.
"A trusted relationship between a student athlete, an athlete's parent, and a coach can be a vulnerable one," District Attorney Terence Houck said in a statement about the charges. "An abuse of that relationship shows a coach's blatant disregard for the well-being of those she or he coached, and above all – the law. This defendant defied that trust when she committed this alleged crime against the victim."
An investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police determined that Marth and the student — whose name is not being released by authorities — "were involved in a sexual relationship," the DA's office said.
The relationship is said to have begun on May 22, 2021 when Marth sent the victim a text message at approximately 2:00 a.m. inviting him to her home on Hunsicker Drive in Lehigh Township, about 75 miles northwest of Philadelphia. After he arrived at her home, prosecutors say that Marth "initiated sexual contact with the victim."
In a subsequent interview with state police detectives, prosecutors say that Marth "confessed to having romantic involvement with the victim in May 2021." Detectives then interviewed the student, whose story to police reportedly matched what Marth said — that he and the javelin coach "were in a relationship that lasted until October 2022."
Marth appeared before District Judge Robert Hawke on Thursday for her arraignment, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show. She was released after posting $75,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court again on April 27 for her preliminary hearing. Information regarding her defense attorney was not immediately available from the court docket.
Northampton Area schools Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik reportedly told the Express-Times on Thursday that Marth had never been employed as a teacher in the district, only as a javelin coach. Additionally, he said that after the district learned about the allegations against her, Marth was immediately placed on administrative leave.
However, Marth is employed as a teacher by the Easton Area School District. The superintendent of the district, David Piperato, reportedly issued the following statement to the Express-Times:
"I have been informed that the Northampton County District's Attorney's Office has brought criminal charges against [Hannah] Marth, a teacher at Easton Area School District. As a practice, the School District does not comment on ongoing criminal matters or personnel matters. However, the School District intends to cooperate fully with the authorities in this matter and will take all necessary action to ensure the safety of our students."
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