A former River Hill High School science teacher who was convicted in March of sexually abusing a male student could face a grand jury indictment in a second case later this week.
Prosecutors said they plan to seek the indictment of the teacher, Alan Meade Beier, 54, of Columbia, in the second case Wednesday, Aug. 6.
In March, Beier was convicted of sex abuse of a minor and second-degree assault stemming from an incident in which Beier took nude photographs of a male student in his classroom at the Clarksville school in January 2007.
Beier was sentenced to four years in prison June 9 and will be required to register as a child sex offender in that case.
In the second case, a grand jury originally indicted Beier in February 2007 on charges of sex abuse of a minor and second-degree assault in connection with accusations made by a second male student younger than 18 years old.
Officials released no other details of the allegations in that case because police and prosecutors took the case directly to the grand jury, whose deliberations are sealed, as opposed to filing charging documents, which are public, said Wayne Kirwan, a spokesman for Howard County State’s Attorney Dario Broccolino.
However, in a hearing Aug. 4 in Howard County Circuit Court, prosecutors moved to amend the February 2007 indictment against Beier. The original indictment states that the alleged abuse happened between April 1 and 21, 2006.
Based on a review of evidence seized from Beier’s home, the state believes the alleged abuse happened between Feb. 1 and April 21, 2006, according to the prosecution’s motion to amend the indictment.
Beier’s attorney, Joshua Treem, asked the court to dismiss the case and deny the prosecution’s amendment to the indictment.
According to Treem’s motion to dismiss, Beier was alleged in the original indictment to have sexually exploited the student by taking photographs of him. Treem’s motion does not describe the nature of the photographs.
“To change the indictment at this stage would indicate that the state has new evidence that was NOT presented to the grand jury,” Treem wrote in the motion. “Therefore, the substantive nature of this alleged offense is called into question.”
Judge Luke Burns Jr., a retired Carroll County Circuit Court judge who was filling in for Howard County Judge Diane Leasure, denied both the state’s motion to amend the indictment and the defense’s motion to dismiss.
After that ruling, Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Claude de Vastey Jones said that the state will drop the original indictment and seek a new grand jury indictment Aug. 6.
Beier also faces charges in connection with allegations made by a female student who was younger than 18. The student accused Beier of fondling her buttocks in his classroom on two occasions between May and October 2006, according to charging documents.
In February 2007, he was indicted on two counts of sex abuse of a minor, three counts of fourth-degree sex offense and two counts of second-degree assault in connection with that case. A trial date in that case has not been set.
Beier taught at River Hill for 11 years. The Board of Education terminated his teaching contract in June 2007.
Prosecutors said they plan to seek the indictment of the teacher, Alan Meade Beier, 54, of Columbia, in the second case Wednesday, Aug. 6.
In March, Beier was convicted of sex abuse of a minor and second-degree assault stemming from an incident in which Beier took nude photographs of a male student in his classroom at the Clarksville school in January 2007.
Beier was sentenced to four years in prison June 9 and will be required to register as a child sex offender in that case.
In the second case, a grand jury originally indicted Beier in February 2007 on charges of sex abuse of a minor and second-degree assault in connection with accusations made by a second male student younger than 18 years old.
Officials released no other details of the allegations in that case because police and prosecutors took the case directly to the grand jury, whose deliberations are sealed, as opposed to filing charging documents, which are public, said Wayne Kirwan, a spokesman for Howard County State’s Attorney Dario Broccolino.
However, in a hearing Aug. 4 in Howard County Circuit Court, prosecutors moved to amend the February 2007 indictment against Beier. The original indictment states that the alleged abuse happened between April 1 and 21, 2006.
Based on a review of evidence seized from Beier’s home, the state believes the alleged abuse happened between Feb. 1 and April 21, 2006, according to the prosecution’s motion to amend the indictment.
Beier’s attorney, Joshua Treem, asked the court to dismiss the case and deny the prosecution’s amendment to the indictment.
According to Treem’s motion to dismiss, Beier was alleged in the original indictment to have sexually exploited the student by taking photographs of him. Treem’s motion does not describe the nature of the photographs.
“To change the indictment at this stage would indicate that the state has new evidence that was NOT presented to the grand jury,” Treem wrote in the motion. “Therefore, the substantive nature of this alleged offense is called into question.”
Judge Luke Burns Jr., a retired Carroll County Circuit Court judge who was filling in for Howard County Judge Diane Leasure, denied both the state’s motion to amend the indictment and the defense’s motion to dismiss.
After that ruling, Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Claude de Vastey Jones said that the state will drop the original indictment and seek a new grand jury indictment Aug. 6.
Beier also faces charges in connection with allegations made by a female student who was younger than 18. The student accused Beier of fondling her buttocks in his classroom on two occasions between May and October 2006, according to charging documents.
In February 2007, he was indicted on two counts of sex abuse of a minor, three counts of fourth-degree sex offense and two counts of second-degree assault in connection with that case. A trial date in that case has not been set.
Beier taught at River Hill for 11 years. The Board of Education terminated his teaching contract in June 2007.
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