Chester County teacher faces felony charges after accusations of having sexual relationship with student
The Brief
A Conestoga High School special education teacher is facing numerous felony charges for having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student.
The Chester County District Attorney said the defendant had a medical issue and will promptly be taken into custody after she is cleared from a doctor.
The teacher is also accused of providing medical marijuana to the student about 15 times since December 2024.
BERWYN, Pa. - After being placed on leave this week when her school district learned she was being investigated for allegedly having sex with a student, a Conestoga High School teacher is charged with institutional sexual assault, corruption of minors, delivery of a controlled substance and other related offenses.
What we know
Michelle Mercogliano, 35, is accused of having a sexual relationship with a student at Conestoga High School, which is also where she worked as a special education reading teacher.
The Chester County District Attorney said Mercogliano is not yet in custody due to medical reasons.
"We learned from her attorney the defendant had an emergent medical issue. We were able to confirm that and once she is cleared, she will be promptly taken into custody, and we will be seeking a relatively high bail commensurate with the seriousness of this offense," said Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe, Chester County District Attorney.
What they're saying
Mercogliano faces numerous felony charges including Sexual Assault, Unlawful Contact with Minor and Sexual Contact with Student.
Student Cecilia Kennedy didn't know Mercogliano personally but like many in the school community find the allegations deeply disturbing.
"I'm honestly really uncomfortable and I'm surprised," said Kennedy. "I feel like it's just unsettling a teacher at my school would do that. Obviously, she should be in jail for a really long time."
Timeline
According to the police criminal complaint, Mercogliano first started communication with the 16-year-old victim earlier in the school year through Snapchat and text messaging.
Tredyffrin Township Police said the teacher provided the teen with medical marijuana about once a week since December 2024 and started having a sexual relationship with the victim in February. Police said the majority of the sexual contact was at the teacher's home.
Court documents said the teen's father found medical marijuana packaging in his son's bedroom closet with the teacher's name on the label and police also downloaded the victim's cell phone which revealed communications between him and Mercogliano.
"We heard from family members that there was a concern that there was a sexual relationship between a student and teacher," said de Barrena-Sarobe. "Parents and students need to be able to trust that their teachers are going to be providing for students in all the right ways. This is all the wrong ways and we're going to hold this teacher accountable."
School district statement
The Tredyffrin Easttown School District released the following statement on Wednesday:
Dear TESD Families and Community,
Today, Tredyffrin Township Police and the Chester County District Attorney informed the District that charges have been filed against a Conestoga High School teacher, Michelle Mercogliano, related to alleged unlawful conduct with a Conestoga High School student. Ms. Mercogliano was placed on leave yesterday immediately after the District was made aware of the investigation, and she no longer has access to District property. The District appreciates the work of the Tredyffrin Township Police Department and District Attorney and is cooperating with the investigation. Out of respect for student privacy and the integrity of the investigation, the District will not provide additional comment or details at this time.
Ms. Mercogliano began teaching at Conestoga this past fall. She was a teacher at Hillside Elementary School from 2019 to 2024 and a paraprofessional at Hillside Elementary and Valley Forge Elementary Schools from 2014 to 2018. We have no information at this time to indicate that the criminal investigation involves other students. However, if you have details you believe are relevant to this investigation, please contact Tredyffrin Township Police at 610-644-3221.
We are deeply troubled by these allegations. The District remains committed to providing a safe and supportive school environment for all students. We encourage you to contact your child's Principal if any child needs support.
Sincerely,Dr. Richard GusickSuperintendent of Schools
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
2 face charges after guns found near Pontiac graduation ceremony
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Two Pontiac men face weapons charges after the Oakland County Sheriff's Office said they intended to 'shoot up' a high school graduation on the southeast side of the state last week. Jamarion Hardiman, 20, and Deahveon Whaley, 19, are each accused of carrying a firearm with unlawful intent, possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony and carrying a concealed weapon, according to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office. 2 planned to 'shoot up' graduation in Pontiac, sheriff says The graduation for a Pontiac charter school was held June 3 at the UWM Sports Complex. The prosecutor's office says surveillance video shows Hardiman and Whaley — neither of whom attended the charter school, authorities previously said — go in to the building together. Hardiman then attacked an 'unidentified individual,' prosecutors said. Security broke up the fight and got them to go outside, but the fight resumed in the parking lot. Surveillance video shows Hardiman was then hit by a car, though he seemed uninjured. Prosecutors say he and Whaley went back to their car, where Whaley put a gun in his waistband and Hardiman grabbed a backpack. Surveillance video later showed them crouching near cars in the parking lot, where investigators say they ditched the gun and backpack — which authorities say contained a second gun. '(The guns were) fully loaded with high-capacity magazines. Each weapon had a 40-round magazine,' Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said at a news conference Friday. 'I believe (deputies and security) probably prevented a mass shooting.' Whaley was arrested Wednesday. Hardiman was arrested within hours of the news conference, at which Bouchard asked the public for help finding him. The sheriff's office said a witness reported having seen a Snapchat post threatening to 'shoot up' the graduation. But the prosecutor's office said deputies have so far not been able to track that post down or get the name of the witness who reported seeing it. If that changes, the prosecutor's office said, more charges may be filed. Bouchard said both suspects have histories of violence and Hardiman was already on probation for a weapons offense. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Mother of missing Navy sailor in Norfolk speaks out as investigation continues
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The investigation into missing Culinary Specialist Seaman Angelina Resendiz out of Naval Station Norfolk is still ongoing. Resendiz was initially reported missing on May 29, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) states her disappearance from the Virginia naval station poses a credible threat to their health and safety. According to the Navy, Resendiz was last seen in her barracks at Naval Station Norfolk around 10 a.m. Nexstar's WAVY spoke with Resendiz's mother, Esmerelda Castle, who says she knew something was wrong when her daughter stopped reaching out to family members — something Resendiz was known to do every day. 'She talks to somebody every day,' Castle said. 'Her and my sister have a 400-day streak on Snapchat, and it all stopped on Thursday. She doesn't miss work.' Castle contacted the Navy and flew all the way to Hampton Roads, Virginia, from Texas to look for Resendiz, whom she describes as kind and compassionate. 'She's a very kind person. She's loving,' Castle said. 'She sees someone down, she's compassionate and encouraging and uplifting, and it's just natural for her. You see her and she's always smiling.' Esmerelda Castle shared the below photos of her daughter with WAVY. Castle said the last person who was seen with her daughter showed up to work on Monday, while Resendiz did not. 'I got here Thursday, and [investigators] still couldn't tell me anything,' Castle said. WAVY reached out to NCIS and received the following statement: 'NCIS urges anyone with information regarding her whereabouts to contact NCIS at 877-579-3648 or using the NCIS Tips app. Tips may be reported anonymously.'
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
Florida man arrested for repeatedly stabbing shark in head as ‘revenge' for stealing fish after gory video goes viral
A Florida man claiming to be a boat captain was arrested Thursday after admitting he repeatedly stabbed a shark in the head in a Snapchat video that went viral late last month. Zane Garrett, 26, was charged with aggravated animal cruelty after gruesomely knifing a bull shark near a wreck site off Key West on May 22 in a video titled 'Bud broke my rod,' Local 10 reported. Garrett, who is identified as a captain on Second Nature Charters' website, was turned over by an anonymous tipster who saw the horrifying video and reported it to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, citing 'safety concerns,' according to the outlet. Garrett was recently 'investigated for false representation' because he does not have the required license to be a captain, it added. 3 Zane Garrett, 26, was charged with aggravated animal cruelty. Monroe County Sheriffs Office Key West 3 'Bro broke my rod,' Garret said in the gory viral Snapchat. Local 10 Officials interviewed the man who originally posted the video and pointed them straight to Garrett. 'Yes, to weapons for the 9-11 inch filet knife, yes to violent behavior for stabbing a shark repeatedly, yes to being concerned over them being dumb enough to post themselves committing a crime,' the tipster said in their report. 'Yah, that's me,' Garrett admitted when authorities presented him with the gory footage. Garrett claimed that his actions fell in line with the typical method used to deter sharks from stealing catches, and that stabbing one would ward others off. 3 Garrett confirmed to authorities that he was the person captured in the video. Local 10 He later confessed to stabbing the shark numerous times in an act of 'revenge' because the predator 'had stolen his fish and was a nuisance,' according to the warrant cited by Local 10. 'I asked Mr. Garrett if he thought that the repeated blows would eventually kill the shark, to which he replied, 'No. It takes a lot more to kill a shark than stabbing it in the head,'' the document stated. He also confessed that he 'did a lot more killing' of sharks with firearms and 'has stabbed sharks and/or killed sharks without harvesting them onto his boat many times in the past.' Authorities condemned the 'egregious' slaying for causing unnecessary harm to the shark. Garrett is being held in the Monroe County Sheriff's Office Key West jail facility on a $10,000 bond. His arrangement is set for June 26.
