He Pulled His Pants Down and I Gave Him a Blow Job' Claims Student
WILKES-BARRE — A 26-year old woman testified for more than four hours Tuesday, alleging she had a sexual relationship with Stephen Stahl, then a Coughlin High School teacher, in 2004 when she was a 16-year-old student.
“This is my worst nightmare, sitting here, doing this,” she told jurors, explaining why it took her so long to tell police.
The woman was the first witness called by Assistant District Attorney Nancy Violi and the only witness to testify Tuesday in Stahl’s trial. Jury selection was Monday, and lawyers made opening statements Tuesday morning. Stahl will testify in his own defense, attorney Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. said during the defense’s opening statement.
“He is not going to remain silent,” Olszewski said during a 26-minute opening.
A criminal defendant has the right to refuse to testify at a criminal trial, and jurors are instructed that they should not hold the decision not to testify against a defendant.
The Wilkes-Barre Area School District suspended Stahl from his $77,582-a-year job as Coughlin dean of students after he was charged a year ago with corruption of minors for allegedly having an 18-month sexual relationship with the Coughlin student. Stahl, 48, of Hunlock Creek, also was removed as Coughlin wrestling coach.
While testifying, the alleged victim apologized she “didn’t come forward 10 years ago” and denied Olszewski’s suggestion her motivation is filing a civil lawsuit against the school district. The Citizens’ Voice does not identify alleged victims of sexual crimes.
The woman informed Wilkes-Barre police of the alleged relationship on Dec. 31, 2013.
“I decided that day, I can’t go on one more year,” she said, explaining she “tried to bury it” and had been “debating for many years” whether to tell police.
“I knew he was still in that school with girls,” she told jurors, responding to a question from Violi.
“It wasn’t a good day for me. We didn’t celebrate,” she said when Olszewski cross examined her, asking her about filing a police report on New Year’s Eve 2013.
While testifying, she said she was flattered when Stahl began flirting with her in school hallways in January 2004 and kept inviting her to his basement classroom after her last class. She said she nervously went to his classroom for the first time after 2:30 p.m. Friday, March 19, 2004.
“He kissed me, pulled down his pants and I performed oral sex on him,” she said, adding Stahl was not wearing underwear.
After that, Stahl “called me like a boyfriend,” and their relationship developed, she said. They had sex in other classrooms after school, at hotels and at Stahl’s home, she told jurors.
They once had sex in Stahl’s truck parked at the Home Depot parking lot in Wilkes-Barre while Stahl was on a break from a summer job there, she said.
Olszewski asked the woman about discrepancies in accounts of how often she had sex in different classrooms at Coughlin. She welled up with tears several times during the cross examination and said she didn’t remember exactly how many times they had sex at each location.
In the defense opening, Olszewski told jurors about evidence Stahl was at a viewing on March 19, 2004, and was not in Wilkes-Barre.
“This was a rush to arrest,” Olszewski said. “Why do we need a trial? The young lady’s story must be put to the test.”
“This is a classic ‘he-said, she-said’ case,” Violi told jurors during her seven-minute opening. “Look at all the pieces in the puzzle. You are going to have to put it together.”
The trial is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. today with a second witness.
“This is my worst nightmare, sitting here, doing this,” she told jurors, explaining why it took her so long to tell police.
The woman was the first witness called by Assistant District Attorney Nancy Violi and the only witness to testify Tuesday in Stahl’s trial. Jury selection was Monday, and lawyers made opening statements Tuesday morning. Stahl will testify in his own defense, attorney Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. said during the defense’s opening statement.
“He is not going to remain silent,” Olszewski said during a 26-minute opening.
A criminal defendant has the right to refuse to testify at a criminal trial, and jurors are instructed that they should not hold the decision not to testify against a defendant.
The Wilkes-Barre Area School District suspended Stahl from his $77,582-a-year job as Coughlin dean of students after he was charged a year ago with corruption of minors for allegedly having an 18-month sexual relationship with the Coughlin student. Stahl, 48, of Hunlock Creek, also was removed as Coughlin wrestling coach.
While testifying, the alleged victim apologized she “didn’t come forward 10 years ago” and denied Olszewski’s suggestion her motivation is filing a civil lawsuit against the school district. The Citizens’ Voice does not identify alleged victims of sexual crimes.
The woman informed Wilkes-Barre police of the alleged relationship on Dec. 31, 2013.
“I decided that day, I can’t go on one more year,” she said, explaining she “tried to bury it” and had been “debating for many years” whether to tell police.
“I knew he was still in that school with girls,” she told jurors, responding to a question from Violi.
“It wasn’t a good day for me. We didn’t celebrate,” she said when Olszewski cross examined her, asking her about filing a police report on New Year’s Eve 2013.
While testifying, she said she was flattered when Stahl began flirting with her in school hallways in January 2004 and kept inviting her to his basement classroom after her last class. She said she nervously went to his classroom for the first time after 2:30 p.m. Friday, March 19, 2004.
“He kissed me, pulled down his pants and I performed oral sex on him,” she said, adding Stahl was not wearing underwear.
After that, Stahl “called me like a boyfriend,” and their relationship developed, she said. They had sex in other classrooms after school, at hotels and at Stahl’s home, she told jurors.
They once had sex in Stahl’s truck parked at the Home Depot parking lot in Wilkes-Barre while Stahl was on a break from a summer job there, she said.
Olszewski asked the woman about discrepancies in accounts of how often she had sex in different classrooms at Coughlin. She welled up with tears several times during the cross examination and said she didn’t remember exactly how many times they had sex at each location.
In the defense opening, Olszewski told jurors about evidence Stahl was at a viewing on March 19, 2004, and was not in Wilkes-Barre.
“This was a rush to arrest,” Olszewski said. “Why do we need a trial? The young lady’s story must be put to the test.”
“This is a classic ‘he-said, she-said’ case,” Violi told jurors during her seven-minute opening. “Look at all the pieces in the puzzle. You are going to have to put it together.”
The trial is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. today with a second witness.
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