Jennifer Merklinger, 40, teacher's aide at Hamburg Area High School, Hamburg Area School District, Hamburg, Pennsylvania, "charged her with institutional sexual assault" Reading Eagle: Hamburg teacher's aide charged with having sex with student (Jan 10 2014) Jennifer Merklinger, 40, of Hamburg turned herself in today on charges of institutional sexual assault. Police said the relationship between Merklinger and an 18-year-old male student began in mid-December. Investigators said the pair did not have sex on school property. All the encounters happened in Hamburg and Shoemakersville, they said. School officials found out about the relationship and told police on Jan. 2, investigators said. Even though the student is an adult, Merklinger could still be charged because it is illegal for school employees to have sexual relationships with students. Merklinger was arraigned today before District Judge Kim L. Bagenstose and released on $25,000 unsecured bail. Tags:
WFMZ: Jennifer Merklinger, teachers aide at Hamburg Area High School, had sex with student, police say (Jan 10 2014) [Jennifer] Merklinger, 40, of Hamburg, and the 18-year-old student engaged in sexual intercourse several times on or about Dec. 13 through Jan. 1, said police, adding that the encounters occurred at their homes and not on school property.
WFMZ: Teacher's aide charged with institutional sexual assault (Jan 10 2014) Police tell us on January 2nd, administrators in the Hamburg Area School District contacted them to investigate a possible relationship between the teacher's aide and a male student. "Apparently they were doing administrative inquiry," said Hamburg Police Chief Pedro Rivera. "They received information that one of their employees had been involved with a student." When administrators and police confronted Merklinger about the allegations, police say she admitted to having sexual contact with the 18-year-old student on multiple occasions. They say it happened between December 19th and the 23rd at both her home in Hamburg and his home in Shoemakersville. Police say although that student is 18, Merklinger still broke the law.
Reading Eagle: Hamburg High teacher's aide charged with institutional sexual assault (Jan 11 2014) Police said Merklinger had a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old male student between Dec. 13 and Jan. 1 ... It was not clear how many times the pair had sex but police said it never happened in the school or on school property. All of the encounters were in Hamburg or Shoemakersville, police said. Rivera said police began investigating Jan. 2, when school officials learned of the relationship and called police. District Superintendent Steven P. Keifer said school officials investigated upon hearing about the alleged relationship and had police involved within an hour.
Charges against a former teacher's aide in the Hamburg Area School District have been held for court. Jennifer Merklinger had a preliminary hearing on institutional sexual assault charges Monday morning. Police said she had a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old student late last year. http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regio...heading-to-trial-in-student-sex-case/24906686
Berks Regional News: Jennifer Merklinger, ex-teachers' aide, guilty in student sex case (August 21 2015) ***GUILTY*** I'm prepared for the Nov. 24th wrist slap.
Wrist slap? Perhaps. But apparently she did allow this to go to trial rather than plead guilty for a reduced sentence. That usually results in a more severe sentence once found guilty. Still, the boy was 18 at the time....usually the perceived severity of the crime diminishes when the victim is 18 or older. Time will tell.