Sex with 17-year-old Results In Conviction For West Chester Teacher

WEST CHESTER, PA — A former teacher in a fine arts charter school was convicted Tuesday in the Chester County Justice Center on charges of having sexual relations with a 17-year-old student in 2019.

Seth Reich, 42, of Downingtown, was convicted of sexual assault, corruption of minors, indecent assault, and furnishing liquor to minors.

He was acquitted of charges of having sexual relations with another victim. The jury deliberated for seven hours.

Following the verdict, Judge Analisa Sondergaard revoked Reich’s bail.

The offense occurred while Reich was a teacher at Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School for Performing Arts, in West Chester.

The victim, now 22, reported to West Goshen police that she had been in a sexual relationship with the defendant, her acting teacher when she was 17.

According to the police:

• The victim was in Reich's acting class when they exchanged phone numbers in March 2019.
• The victim told police, they texted, frequently ate lunch together, and he gave her private acting lessons.
• In May 2019, the sexual relationship began and until March 2021, when the two had consensual sex more than 100 times in various locations.

Reich’s lawyer, James A. Funt of Philadelphia, said the victim’s timeline was inaccurate, saying the sex did not begin until the victim was 18.