Assault Charges Dropped For Severna Park Elementary Teacher: Reports

SEVERNA PARK, MD — A teacher who was found not guilty of sexually abusing his students will no longer face assault charges either, multiple reports said.

At the request of prosecutors, a judge on Tuesday dropped Matthew Schlegel's remaining counts of second-degree assault, WBAL-TV and The Baltimore Banner reported.

Schlegel's attorney, Patrick Seidel, confirmed the news to Patch.

"We are pleased with their decision," Seidel said in an email.

Schlegel, 45, taught third-grade math at Severna Park Elementary School, where he was accused of inappropriately touching eight of his female students.

The Banner said three girls didn't testify at trial because it would have been detrimental to their mental health, and the jury on June 17 found Schlegel not guilty of abusing the other five girls.

The Banner reported the jury found Schlegel not guilty of 18 of the 21 charges against him: sexual abuse of a minor and third- and fourth-degree sex offense.

WBAL-TV said the jury, however, couldn't agree on the three assault charges.

With the assault counts now dropped, Schlegel no longer faces any criminal charges.

"We believe victims and take challenging cases to trial and seek justice on behalf of the most vulnerable in our community. We respect the families of all the victims and their supporters and understand their disappointment in the outcome of this case," Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said in a statement obtained by WBAL-TV. "While some may want us to continue prosecuting the three remaining misdemeanor counts, we must recognize that after a full presentation on the facts in over a month-long trial, the jury was deadlocked [on] those counts 10-2 for not guilty."

Schlegel still faces a lawsuit from an anonymous parent, however. The mother alleged that Schlegel molested her daughter behind his desk during classroom instruction.

The lawsuit filed on May 30 seeks nearly $1 million in damages from Schlegel, Severna Park Elementary Principal Kyle Butler and Anne Arundel County Public Schools Superintendent Mark Bedell.

Schlegel's attorney said, "The mother of one of these children is seeking to profit from these false allegations."

"We have suspected for more than a year — and confirmed with the evidence presented in the criminal case — that every single family involved in this case consulted and/or retained civil attorneys, some within days of the initial allegations. What is curious, however, is that this particular family declined to participate in the criminal case, citing the 'best interest' of the child, and yet—unbeknownst to us — this lawsuit was docketed exactly one week after our vigorous cross-examination, concerning this very topic, was publicized," Seidel told Patch Thursday in an email, pointing to three of the girls who did not testify at Schlegel's trial.

Schlegel has worked for AACPS since 2008. He worked at Severna Park Elementary from 2016 to 2024. AACPS transferred him to a position without student contact when the investigation began. The school system suspended him without pay once he was charged with a felony.

AACPS has not yet decided whether Schlegel will return to the classroom or remain in his position without student contact.

Related:

• Severna Park Teacher Sued In Sex Abuse Case For $1M
• Severna Park Teacher Found Not Guilty Of Sex Abuse, Schools Make Employment Decision
• Teacher Accused Of Sex Abuse Indicted On 55 Charges In Anne Arundel: Report
• Teacher Denied Bond In Severna Park Elementary Sex Abuse Case: Courts
• Severna Park Elementary Teacher Abused 8 Students: Charging Docs
• Teacher Removed From School, Misconduct Investigated In AACPS: Reports