4 Students Accuse Bucks Co. Piano Teacher Of Indecent Assault

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — A Plumstead Township piano teacher has been charged with the indecent assault of four students who investigators say he inappropriately massaged during their lessons more than two decades ago.

Timothy James Shay, 49, was arraigned on Feb. 14 on four counts each of indecent assault of a person less than 13 years old and corruption of minors. He was sent to the Bucks County Correctional Facility by Magisterial District Judge John T. Galloway who set his bail at $1 million, 10 percent.

During a press conference announcing the charges on Friday, investigators said they "strongly believe" there may be other victims and are asking for them to come forward.

Anyone with information can contact Middletown Township Detective John Beck at 215-750-3872.

Police from Middletown Township and Newtown Township launched a joint investigation in February after receiving a report of suspected child sexual abuse that occurred at a residence in Middletown Township two decades ago.

The victim reported that the sexual abuse happened between 1998 and 2003 when the victim was a juvenile and Shay was his private piano instructor. The lessons occurred at the victim’s residence, and the abuse progressed over the years, investigators said.

The victim told police that it began with Shay massaging his wrists, which Shay described as warmups before piano lessons. Shay would then massage the victim’s forearms and work his way up his arms and neck, the victim told police.

As time went on, Shay moved the warmups from the piano bench to a couch, so he could massage more parts of the victim’s body, police said. At one point in the massage, the victim told police that Shay would have him lie down and Shay would massage his chest and abdomen, eventually moving lower.

The victim told police that during his final year or two of piano lessons, Shay would lift the waistband of the victim’s pants, reach down his pants and massage the victim’s pubic area, just above the genitals. The victim said the inappropriate contact happened between 30 and 50 times.

The victim said he had one lesson a week that lasted 30 minutes, and the warmups took up 15 minutes of that time. The victim told police that Shay told him to never tell anyone about the warmups.

Detectives spoke to a second victim from Middletown Township, who also had Shay as a piano instructor between 1998 and 2003 when the victim was a juvenile.

The victim told police that Shay massaged him, claiming it would help with playing the piano. During the massage, the victim told police that Shay would pull up the victim’s elastic waistband and press his abdomen just above his genitals. The skin-to-skin contact happened between three and five times.

A third victim told police he had Shay as a piano instructor in the late 1990s and early 2000s when the victim was prepubescent. The private lessons happened in Newtown Township.

During the first few lessons, the victim told police that Shay would massage the victim’s back and during later lessons, he massaged other areas of the victim’s body, including the neck, abdomen and groin. At least 10 times, Shay had the victim lay on the piano bench and he massaged the victim’s groin over his clothing, the victim said.

A fourth victim reported being eight years old when he had Shay as a piano instructor in Newtown Township. The victim told police that Shay would massage the victim’s inner and upper thighs, claiming it would help relieve tension in the area. During the massage, Shay would have the victim place his hands along his genitals to create a barrier, and Shay would massage the victim’s groin area up to the barrier.