DA: UHS aide had illicit contact with 2 teens

Posted by ChaddsFordLive on November 16, 2016

A 42-year-old female teacher’s aide substitute at Unionville High School is accused of initiating sexual contact with two male students.

The Chester County District Attorney’s Office and the Pennsylvania State Police announced the arrest of Sheri Lee Maufort, who lives in West Chester, on charges that include institutional sexual assault, corruption of minors, and related offenses. The illegal conduct occurred off campus and outside of regular school hours, said a press release from Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan.

“I have said it before and I will say it again. Rule No. 1 for school staff is: ‘Do not have sexual contact with a student,’” said Hogan in the release. “If you break this rule, you will be fired, sent to jail, and never work in a school again.”

Maufort, who is married, worked since 2015 for a company that provides substitute teachers, aides, and administrative support staff to various schools, including the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District. During the time of the alleged crimes, she was working at Unionville High School as a substitute teacher’s aide, the release said.

“The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District will not stand for this type of behavior,” Unionville-Chadds Ford Superintendent John Sanville said in the release. “We immediately reported this incident to law enforcement and are grateful for the rapid response. We now will begin the difficult task of addressing this incident with our students, parents, and teachers.”

According to the criminal complaint, Maufort met both students when she worked as a substitute teacher’s aide in a classroom at Unionville High School on a few occasions.

She contacted the first victim, who was under the age of 18, by text in August and asked him to come outside his home to meet her. The victim got into her car and she took him out of his neighborhood, supplied him with alcohol, and then parked at a restaurant in Birmingham Township. They walked out into a field where inappropriate contact, including oral sex, occurred, the complaint said.

Approximately three weeks later, Maufort encountered the second victim at a party in the area after a high school football game. Maufort drove the second victim from the party, parked her vehicle, and initiated sexual contact with the teen before returning him to the party, the complaint said.

Hogan said the alleged incidents were reported to law enforcement on Nov. 11, prompting investigators to interview both boys. Maufort was arrested on Wednesday, Nov. 16, the release said.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 28. Maufort, who is represented by attorney Lloyd E. Long III, was remanded to Chester County Prison after failing to post 10 percent of $100,000 bail, court records said.

This case was investigated by the Avondale barracks of the Pennsylvania State Police with assistance from the Chester County Detectives. Assistant District Attorney Emily Provencher is the assigned prosecutor. Anyone with further information should contact Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Jason Pennington at 610-268-2022, the release said.

“Any sexual contact between an adult and a minor is a serious matter,” State Police Lt. Richard D’Ambrosio said in the release. “The involvement of a teacher’s aide, someone who is entrusted with the well-being of a student and who is in a position of authority, cannot and will not be tolerated.”