Bolivar-Richburg teacher charged with institutional sexual assault in Pa., placed on leave

Neal Simon, Elmira Star-Gazette
·2 min read

A long-time faculty member at Bolivar-Richburg Central School has been placed on administrative leave by the district after her arrest in McKean County, Pa., on allegations she had sexual relations with a minor while serving as a volunteer at a Pennsylvania school.

Denise Evens, 45, of Port Allegany, Pa. was charged this week with two counts of institutional sexual assault and two counts of corruption of minors, according to McKean County District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer.

Vettenburg-Shaffer said Port Allegany Police Department officer Adam Dickerson filed the charges and obtained an arrest warrant after investigating allegations that Evens had sexual intercourse and oral sex with a minor when she was a school volunteer.

Evens was arraigned by on-call magisterial district judge Dominic Cercone, who set bail at $75,000 percentage bond. Cercone also ordered Evens to have no contact with minor children. The district attorney's office said Evens will appear in Central Court at a later time.

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Evens was listed as a special education teacher in a 2021 publication issued by the B-R school district. Evens was placed on administrative leave in June by Bolivar-Richburg, where she has been employed since fall 2002, B-R interim superintendent Chuck Leichner said.

"As soon as the District was made aware of the allegations and potential criminal charges, the teacher was placed on administrative leave," Leichner said in an emailed statement. "She has not been on campus since the end of last school year, in June 2023.

"We have confirmed that the alleged conduct does not involve our school district or district students; however, we are taking all steps necessary to address the matter and we will continue to cooperate with law enforcement and all relevant authorities."

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This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: School volunteer in McKean County charged with having sex with minor