Bellwood-Antis School District: Expect to stand up to principal | News, Sports, Vacancies

HOLLIDAYSBURG — A Blair County judge has refused to dismiss a witness/victim intimidation charge filed against a former Bellwood-Antis School District administrator, although the administrator’s attorney argues the case amounts to little more than a frivolous lawsuit.

In a recent ruling resolving complaints brought on behalf of former athletic director Charles N. Burch, President Judge Wade A. Kagaris denied a motion to dismiss the third-degree felony.

“The Court agrees with the Commonwealth that any discrepancies should be decided by a jury,” Kagarise wrote.

State Attorney General Lauren Eichelberger acknowledged in court hearings and court filings that the original charges were amended to indicate the alleged threat occurred on or about Feb. 19, 2020, not Feb. 20, 2020, based on cellphone records. call between the teenager and his mother at 7:51 a.m. on February 19, 2020.

At the time of the alleged threat, state police were investigating allegations of sexual assault against high school wrestling coach Ryan Blazer. The charges against Burch indicate that he called one of the teenage victims into his office and asked if anything was going on at wrestling practice.

The teen, who testified at Burch’s preliminary hearing in January, said he responded to “weird things” but did not go into detail. The teen responded by saying Burch said he would handle it and then told him not to tell anyone or he could be suspended from the football team or benched.

The teenager said he called his mother after the meeting because he said he was upset about the possibility of being suspended or benched.

During a May court hearing in Kagaris, defense attorney Thomas C. Hooper pointed out to the judge that during a January preliminary hearing, the teen admitted he didn’t know when his encounter with Burch occurred and that he had “made a casual date.” outside.”

The lawyer also recalled the teen’s testimony, saying he was in his third English class when he was called to Burch’s office, which is not supported by cell phone records showing the call at 7:51 a.m.

During a subsequent hearing on September 24, Hooper called witnesses to further challenge the alleged series of events. Michael Lingenfelter, a retired technology coordinator for the school district, found no phone calls between Burch’s office and the third period English class on Feb. 19 or 20, 2020.

At the same trial, witnesses said Burch was assigned to be on duty in the hall from 7:30 a.m. to 7:55 a.m. on February 19, 2020, and in the in-school suspension class during third period on February 20, 2020.

In response to this testimony, Eichelberger took the position that general statements about where someone should have been are not sufficient to indicate that a crime did not occur.

She took the position that jurors should weigh issues of credibility and inconsistency of evidence, prompting Kagarise to agree with her recent decision.

At the Sept. 24 hearing, Hooper said he didn’t know how Eichelberger could ethically handle a case in which the credibility of the only witness had been undermined.

Eichelberger declined to comment after that hearing.

Hooper, after learning of Kagarise’s decision, said he understood the court’s position because questions of credibility are – by law – usually left to the jury. But he also said he believed he had presented sufficient grounds to dismiss the charge.

“Everything that (the teenager) testified to, with the exception of his unsubstantiated threat statement, the Commonwealth now accepts that did not happen,” Hooper said. “We hoped that the court would consider the claim to be completely unfounded. We have faith in the jury’s decision.”

Burch’s case is one of several cases that will be considered for jury selection on Dec. 16, according to a review of pending court cases conducted Oct. 23. Burch remains free on $50,000 unsecured bail.

In a similar case, jury selection is scheduled Dec. 2 for Timothy Andrekovic of Tipton, the former head wrestling coach at Bellwood-Antis.

Andrekovich, represented by attorney Lance Marshall of State College, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child in a case in which he is accused of failing to implement a security plan that would have prevented Blazer from having unsupervised access to students.

Blazier, who was convicted by a jury in October 2021 of sex crimes, is serving a prison sentence of 21 to 42 years.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stevens: 814-946-7456.

BASD settles second lawsuit

Kay Stevens

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HOLLIDAYSBURG — The Bellwood-Antis School District has resolved a second civil lawsuit filed on behalf of a student victim of sexual assault, allowing the insurance company to pay $1.6 million to the student and the law firm that represented him.

The district’s actions are similar to those taken in November 2023, when the district authorized a $1 million payment to resolve the first civil lawsuit filed on behalf of another student who was also identified as a victim of sexual assault.

In both cases, students accused former high school wrestling coach Ryan Blazer of sexually assaulting them on school property in 2019 and 2020.

Blazer is currently an inmate at the State Correctional Institution in Greene, serving a sentence of 21 to 42 years in prison. He continues to appeal seven sexual assault convictions handed down at a criminal jury trial in October 2021, where two student victims testified.

The settlement in the second civil suit became public in July when a document was filed at the Blair County Courthouse indicating the case had been resolved. School district attorney Carl Beard, in response to a Right-to-Know request from the Altoona Mirror for a copy of the settlement, said it was approved at a June board meeting.

The latest settlement directs the county’s insurance company to pay $1.11 million to the injured student and Marcus & Mack, whose Indiana County attorneys represented the student in court.

The settlement also authorizes the insurance company to pay $490,000 to Prudential Assignment Settlement Services Corp., which will make monthly and lump sum payments to the injured student until 2046.

In the first settlement of the civil lawsuit, the district authorized a $550,000 payment to the injured student and Marcus & Mack. He authorized an additional payment of $450,000 to be distributed monthly through 2048 to that student.

Because both agreements contained confidentiality provisions, those involved in negotiating the terms and amounts were prohibited from commenting on the agreements or explaining the differences in payments. Violations may result in allegations of infringement and requests for damages.

However, confidentiality provisions recognize disclosure as permitted by law. This includes the publication of settlement documents recognized in Pennsylvania as public records and available for access under the state’s Right to Know Law.