Lawrence Music Teacher Charged With Allegedly Firing Rifle Toward Teenagers Near His Pennsylvania Home

A Lawrence Township public school teacher was arrested at his Pennsylvania home on Sunday after he allegedly fired two shots from a rifle at a pair of teenagers who walked across his property to go fishing, according to police in Northampton Township, Bucks County, Pa.

David Kelly, a 43-year-old resident of Bridgetown Pike, Northampton, 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 Township Police Detective Peter Stark said.

Kelly works for Lawrence Township Public Schools as a seventh- and eighth-grade music teacher and also as the orchestra director at Lawrence Middle School.

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.

Lawrence Township Assistant Superintendent of Schools Crystal Lovell, who will assume the post of superintendent on Sept. 1 upon the retirement of current Superintendent Phil Meara, spoke to Lawrenceville Patch late this afternoon (Thursday, Aug. 25) and offered a formal statement on behalf of the district.    

“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,” she said.

Stark said the alleged incident involving Kelly took place between 6 and 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 21.

According to a police news release, the two 15-year-olds told officers they were walking through a property in the 1000 block of Bridgetown Pike, near Wood Stream Drive, to go fishing at an adjacent creek when “a male who appeared to be intoxicated screamed at them stating he had guns and telling them where they could walk.”

“When the victims left the subject’s property, they heard two gunshots and noticed the subject then had a rifle. The youths then ran into the woods and ran home where they then called police. The victims were able to identify the home where the actor had been and were subsequently able to identify the actor,” the police news release continued.

The suspect, identified as Kelly, was taken into custody and a .22 cal rifle was found in the basement of his home, police said.

Police said Kelly was arraigned before District Judge Jean Seaman and sent to the Bucks County Correctional Facility in lieu of $100,000.00 bail (with a 10 percent option).