HUMMELSTOWN, DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. -- A former high school teacher in Dauphin County is accused of having inappropriate contact with a student.
The former Lower Dauphin High School teacher is facing an indecent assault charge.
This incident marks the third time a teacher from Lower Dauphin School District has been charged in an alleged sexual matter since last year.
The investigation started back in November of 2017 when Lower Dauphin School District's superintendent came forward to Hummelstown Police.
She told police John Butler, then a history teacher and cross country coach at the high school, may be involved in a crime involving a former student. During the student's senior year, court documents say Butler pushed her against a wall and kissed her while alone with him in his classroom.
Leading up to the incident, police say Butler and the teen became close building trust.
Court documents also state the student went to Butler frequently whenever angry or upset.
According to reports published by the Hummelstown Sun, Butler also messaged the student online saying "I love you so much" and "I also want want to rip your clothes off."
This isn't the first time a Lower Dauphin teacher has made the news. Police charged James Kalos with unlawful contact with a minor and other offenses in 2017. This June, police charged James Mentzer after they say he had inappropriate contact with 5 students,
People living in the area are stunned and believe more needs to be done to keep students safe.
"I think it's insane like, I think it's too close to home. I think that they should probably do a little bit more background checks on the teachers before they let them in the school with the students and maybe have more presence in the school, to see what's going on behind the scenes," said Morgan Behrendt, a former student at Lower Dauphin.
"I'm not sure what the solution is. I think a lot of these perpetrators are kind of hiding in the weeds so it's hard to get to them, but I think anyone who is contact with children as much as teachers should have some checks and balances," said Tom Clements of Derry Township.
Lower Dauphin School District became aware of allegations against Butler in early November 2017, and school officials placed the teacher on administrative leave.
Butler resigned by the end of that November.
Police arraigned Butler Wednesday afternoon; he was released on bail.
According to officials, Butler taught at Lower Dauphin since the 2009-2010 school year.
