Central Bucks investigation found evidence that led to arrest of former math teacher

The Central Bucks School District superintendent says that “additional information” obtained through an internal investigation he ordered resulted in the arrest of a former high school math teacher after the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office initially found nothing criminal.

Abram Lucabaugh made the revelation in a letter to the community posted Monday on the Central Bucks website, which offered his first comments about former teacher Michael London, who the school board terminated in December.

London, 31, of Warrington, who taught at Central Bucks South and West high schools, was charged last month with one count of misdemeanor corruption of minors for allegedly engaging in inappropriate communication with a minor between September 2021 and last year.

Former CBSD teacher charged Former Central Bucks high school teacher charged with corruption of minor

Court documents show that the Bucks County Detectives opened an investigation into London in September 2022 after they became aware of allegations involving an unidentified minor.

Charging documents did not identify the name or gender of the minor or if the minor was a Central Bucks student.

London’s attorney, Craig Penglase, did not immediately return an email seeking comment Monday on the charges against his client or the superintendent’s letter.

In his letter, Lucabaugh wrote that after the allegations were brought to the attention of the administration, they met with London and suspended him with pay pending the results of an investigation by the District Attorney’s Office.

The initial DA investigation “did not find any evidence of criminality,” according to Lucabaugh, “however in an abundance of caution, Mr. London was kept on suspension while I authorized an internal investigation to ensure that nothing was overlooked, or inadvertently missed,” according to the letter.

“The result of that internal investigation yielded additional information that, upon resubmission to the district attorney’s office, led to the charges (sic) against Michael London,”  Lucabaugh wrote.

The probable cause affidavit in the criminal case does not mention anything about the school district providing information relevant to the case or an internal investigation.

Lucabaugh did not provide details about what “additional information” the internal investigation provided in his letter.

Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub confirmed that the information shared by Lucabaugh is accurate, but the DA did not respond to a question asking what information the district provided.

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Authorities who reviewed electronic communications between London and the minor said it appeared that the teacher was attempting to act as a “mentor,” and offer advice about romantic relationships, according to the affidavit.

But within the communications they found “numerous” inappropriate messages including ones where London asked if the minor was sexually active and spoke about his own sexual encounters, masturbation and alcohol use, according to the affidavit.

London often asked the minor for photographs under the guise of “inspecting” the minor's physique, authorities said.

Sometimes, London and the minor talked on Instagram social media app in “vanish mode,” so that photos or messages would disappear after they were read, the affidavit said.

After reviewing the communications between the two, authorities believe that London was “grooming” the minor in hopes of initiating a sexual relationship, according to court documents.

In the letter posted Monday, Lucabaugh called the arrest of London, and the recent sentencing of former longtime district choir director Joseph Ohrt, “a stain that is difficult to remove.”

Last month, Ohrt was sentenced to 2 ½ to five years in state prison after pleading no contest to charges of indecent assault, corruption of minors, tampering with evidence and invasion of privacy filed in 2022. His three victims were former students including two were were students in the 1990s.

Last December former CBSD custodian Robert Murphy Jr., of Perkasie, was also terminated, three months after he was arrested and charged with possession of dozens of videos depicting child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility.  He has entered a guilty plea to the charges and he is scheduled to be sentenced this week.

Lucabaugh called the incidents unfortunate and a “stark reminder” of the importance of “vigilance, vetting and training” to ensure students can learn and grow safely.

“It is also an example of why I continue to maintain my stance on protecting our students from sexualization, in any form and in any medium,” he added.

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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Central Bucks superintendent says district probe led to teacher arrest