Former Teacher, Principal Convicted of Rape, Sexual Abuse of 16-Year-Old Girl Sentenced Up to 70 Years in Prison

EYT Media

EYT Media

Published April 27, 2022 4:45 am
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VENANGO CO., Pa. (EYT) — A former area teacher and principal who was convicted of rape and sexual abuse of a 16-year-old girl in Pinegrove Township was sentenced from 25 years to 70 years in prison.

According to court documents, 56-year-old Michael David O’Brien, of Clearfield, who formerly served as principal at St. Stephen School and was a teacher at A-C Valley for several years, was found guilty during a jury trial on March 17 and March 18 of all of the following charges filed against him:

– Rape Forcible Compulsion, Felony 1
– Statutory Sexual Assault: 11 Years Older, Felony 1
– Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse Forcible Compulsion, Felony 1 (four counts)
– Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse Person Less Than 16 Years Age, Felony 1 (four counts)
– Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse With Child, Felony 1 (two counts)
– Aggravated Indecent Assault – Forcible Compulsion, Felony 2 (four counts)
– Aggravated Indecent Assault – Complainant Less Than 13 Years Age, Felony 2 (two counts)
– Aggravated Indecent Assault – Complainant Less Than 16 Years Age, Felony 2 (four counts)
– Incest of Minor – Complainant 13-18 Years, Felony 2
– Indecent Assault Person Less than 13 Years Age, Misdemeanor 1 (two counts)
– Indecent Assault Forcible Compulsion, Misdemeanor 1 (four counts)
– Indecent Assault Person Less Than 16 Years Age, Misdemeanor 2 (four counts)

On Friday, April 22, around 9:00 a.m., Venango County Judge Marie T. Veon imposed a prison sentence on Michael O’Brien of an aggregate of 25 years to 70 years, according to a representative of Venango County Courts.

Details of the case:

According to a criminal complaint, on October 26, a known woman reported that a 16-year-old female victim had been sexually abused by Michael O’Brien in Pinegrove Township, Venango County.

According to the complaint, the woman reported that on December 11, 2019, she discovered a video on a computer that contained footage of O’Brien and the victim engaging in a conversation about O’Brien “touching” the victim. The woman reported she then confronted O’Brien about the video and he “became nervous” and deleted it from the computer.

The woman told police she then spoke to the victim, who said she uploaded the video to the computer from a USB drive. The woman had only seen one video but then learned there were two video recordings taken by the victim involving her and O’Brien discussing him “touching” her, the complaint states.

The woman told police the victim stated she had engaged in sexual intercourse with O’Brien among other things. The victim also said the incidents began when she was 10 to 11 years old, according to the complaint.

The woman stated she didn’t report the incident immediately because she was afraid of retaliation. She reported that during her previous relationship with him, O’Brien had been “controlling” and “emotionally abusive,” the complaint notes.

The woman also stated that after the accusations, O’Brien began openly carrying a pistol around the house with a round always chambered. She noted that she was never threatened with the gun but stated: “It was intimidating.” O’Brien had told her to pretend everything was fine and get through Christmas, and she then ended the relationship after Christmas, according to the complaint.

After Christmas, the woman said that O’Brien took her to the garage with the gun on his hip and told her she couldn’t report him now because “she would be just as guilty as him because she’s a mandated reporter and didn’t report it immediately,” the complaint indicates.

The complaint states that police made arrangements to obtain copies of the video recordings, which were entered into evidence. In the recordings, O’Brien admits to “touching” and sexual acts with the victim. He told the victim, “I don’t know that I could come up with a good reason,” when asked why he touched her. He also reportedly said he was “sorry.” The victim was crying as the recording ended.

On November 16, the victim had a forensic interview at the Venango County Human Service Complex.

The victim became emotional at several points during the interview and told interviewers that O’Brien had been sexually abusing her, two to three times each week, since she was approximately 10 to 11 years old, and then raped her in April of 2019. She also reported that O’Brien told her “if she ever told the police, he would kill himself rather than go behind bars,” the complaint states.

The victim told police she secretly made the video recordings of O’Brien in November of 2019 and uploaded the recordings to the computer in December of 2019. She said that she created the videos “in case something ever happened to her in the future,” according to the complaint.

O’Brien was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Matthew T. Kirtland at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 19.

EDITOR’S NOTE 1: Extreme graphic details were not included due to the sexual nature of the alleged crimes.

EDITOR’S NOTE 2: Several details were removed from this article to help protect the identity of the victim.

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