Bridgewater-Raritan teacher and coach arrested on child sex charges
A former physical education teacher and coach at Bridgewater-Raritan High School was arrested for allegedly having a long-term sexual relationship with a former student.
Lydia Pinto, 38, of Newtown, Pennsylvania, was charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault and two counts of second-degree sexual assault, Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald said.
Pinto was taken into custody without incident on Nov. 8 in Franklin, the prosecutor said.
Bridgewater-Raritan Superintendent of Schools Robert Beers could not be reached for comment.
The investigation began on Oct. 16 when the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes/Child Abuse Unit was notified by the Bridgewater Police Department of an anonymous email alleging an inappropriate relationship between a teacher and a former student, according to McDonald.
Ten days later, the former student, now an adult, was identified and interviewed by detectives from the Sex Crimes/Child Abuse Unit and the Raritan Borough Police Department, McDonald said.
The former student reported engaging in a relationship with Pinto and said the relationship turned sexual when they were between the ages of 14 and 15 and continued until their senior year of high school, the prosecutor said.
The sexual conduct occurred in Raritan Borough, the prosecutor said.
Pinto coached field hockey and girls lacrosse at the school.
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Anyone with information is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes/Child Abuse Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Raritan Borough Police Department at 908-725-6200 or via the STOPit app. All anonymous STOPit reports, and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Bridgewater-Raritan teacher and coach arrested on child sex charges
