Court Appearance Made by Lawrence Music Teacher Accused of Shooting Rifle at Teens in Pennsylvania

David Kelly, the Lawrence Township public school music teacher who was arrested in August for allegedly firing two shots from a rifle at two teenagers walking on his property in Northampton Township, Pa., appeared in a Bucks County court room last week, according to a report published on PhillyBurbs.com.

During the Sept. 29 hearing, according to the PhillBurbs report, one of the teenagers testified that he and his friend feared for their lives, and a Northampton Township police detective testified that Kelly smelled of alcohol and had a shot glass in his pocket when he was arrested.

Kelly – a 43-year-old resident of Bridgetown Pike in Northampton employed by Lawrence Township Public Schools as a seventh- and eighth-grade music teacher and as the orchestra director at Lawrence Middle School – was charged with making terroristic threats, simple assault with a deadly weapon, possession of an instrument of crime, recklessly endangering another person and related offenses, Northampton police previously told Lawrenceville Patch.

New Jersey state public employee records show Kelly holds a bachelor’s degree, has worked as a teacher for at least 16 years and earned at least $64,540 during the 2010-11 school year.

“The district cannot comment on matters of personnel and we’ve met with our attorney and are operating under his advice. The safety and security of our students is our top priority. The teacher has been suspended with pay pending the outcome of the official investigation. The district has already assigned a certified substitute teacher for the opening of school,” . (Note: Lovell was assistant superintendent at that time, as then Superintendent Phil Meara had not yet officially retired.)

According to the PhillyBurbs report, the case against Kelly was referred to a higher level court in Doylestown, Pa., with a court date set for Oct. 28.