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Joseph Ohrt, 56, who was first arrested on Tuesday, Feb. 8, was additionally charged with multiple counts of indecent assault and corruption of minors on Tuesday, March 8, Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said.
- CLICK HERE for more on Ohrt's Tuesday, Feb. 8 arrest.
The new charges follow allegations that Ohrt, of Buckingham Township, molested two of his former students back in the 1990s, Weintraub said.
One of the victims told detectives that he was a sixth-grader at Linden Elementary School in 1991 when Ohrt, his choir teacher, indecently touched him, the DA said.
The victim, who was 11 years old at the time, said that Ohrt escorted him to the music room while touching his butt after offering to teach him how to play piano, a criminal complaint reads.
When he had trouble reaching the keys, Ohrt allegedly had him sit on his lap. Ohrt then touched the victim's penis over his pants before putting his hands down the victim's underwear, according to a criminal complaint.
The victim ended up getting away, and told his mother, who reported the incident to the school's principal and guidance counselor, court records show. Ohrt was later moved to the Central Bucks High School - West in Doylestown, where he later held the position of choir director and chairman of the music department, according to court papers and his biography.
Years later, when the victim attended CB West, he was not in Ohrt's class, but Ohrt would acknowledge him and occasionally call him a "rat," according to the complaint.
A second victim told detectives that Ohrt molested him when he was 13 years old in 1996, DA Weintraub said.
The victim was a student at Pine Run Elementary School, Unami Middle School, Lenape Middle School, and CB West, where he graduated in 2001, court papers show. The victim had been in multiple choirs with Ohrt since he was 11 years old.
The victim said he was babysitting at Ohrt’s home in Doylestown while Ohrt and his wife went out to celebrate their wedding anniversary and when Ohrt returned, he indecently assaulted him in the basement, the DA said.
The victim claims that Ohrt approached him from behind, wrapped his arms around him, placed his hand down the front of his pants, and touched an "intimate area," according to a criminal complaint.
When the victim tried to "wiggle out" of the situation, he said that Ohrt then hugged and kissed him, court papers show.
Investigators believe there may be additional victims and are urging them to come forward.
Anyone who was victimized by Ohrt, or knows someone who may have been is urged to contact Detective Sergeant Paul Kreuter of the Central Bucks Regional Police Department at (215)-345-4143 or pkreuter@crpd.net and Detective Greg Beidler of the Bucks County Detectives at (215)-340-8216. They can also submit a tip through CrimeWatch PA.
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