Fort Cherry High School teacher charged with rape
A Fort Cherry High School teacher was arrested Friday for allegedly having sexual contact with a male student at a party after giving him alcohol.
David E. Cook, 42, of 520 W. Lincoln Ave., McDonald, faces charges of rape of an unconscious victim, intercourse and/or sexual contact with a student and indecent assault of an unconscious person. He was arraigned before District Judge Traci L. McDonald and transferred to Washington County Jail on $50,000 bond.
McDonald police launched an investigation Feb. 3 after the district notified them of a teacher having inappropriate contact with a male student. District solicitor John Smart said Feb. 22 that the teacher was removed from the classroom and said the district had no knowledge that any alleged inappropriate conduct occurred on school property.
A woman who answered the phone in the administration office Friday said Superintendent Dr. Jill Jacoby was not in. Smart’s Pittsburgh office said he is on vacation until next week.
McDonald police Chief Mark Dorsey said the arrest was made after an extensive investigation. “We’ve been investigating since Feb. 3 when it was made known to us,” he said.
According to the criminal complaint and affidavit, the school was first notified that Cook was providing alcohol to the 17-year-old student, a junior from Robinson Township, but was unable to prove the allegations.
On Feb. 2, the high school principal received a report from someone within the school district that an alleged sexual assault had occurred involving Cook and the student and contacted police.
The student told police Cook provided him with alcohol at least eight times, including once during a sporting event at Seton LaSalle High School.
During the investigation, police said they found that in November, Cook showed up intoxicated at a student’s party in a McDonald home, where he gave the boy alcohol and performed a sex act on him.
The father of a female student who hosted the party later told police he walked downstairs, where several students had slept over, and observed Cook asleep on one side of a couch and the boy asleep on the other side. The father said he found Cook’s presence strange, but he didn’t “overthink” it because he and Cook are friends. He also said he observed Cook’s vehicle parked in the middle of the driveway as though he arrived intoxicated, the affidavit states.
The mother of the female student told police she texted with the boy, who admitted Cook provided him with alcohol and performed a sex act on him. She said he later told her he was joking.
In interviews with police in February and June, the student said Cook arrived at the party apparently intoxicated, talked about homosexuality and told the student he “would like to mentor him in this area.” He allegedly told the student stories about growing up as a homosexual. The student said the conversation moved to the garage at some point.
He said he drank two glasses of vodka before “blacking out,” but he awoke to a “sexual sensation.” He said Cook texted him the next day referring to the incident, and advised the student to lie to school authorities if questioned, according to the affidavit.
Police also interviewed two female students, one of whom told investigators she witnessed the teacher asleep close to the male student. Both girls said the student showed them text messages purportedly from Cook, alluding to the incident.
Cook also is charged with sexual assault, corruption of minors, indecent assault without the consent of another and furnishing liquor to a minor.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled Aug. 17 before McDonald.