2nd Monessen Teacher Faces Sex Charges

A Monessen teacher was arrested on sex charges a day after an ex-teacher from the same district was accused of having sexual contact with three students.

Police and state agents arrested industrial arts teacher Michael Cirner, 26, on Wednesday after he left work at Monessen High School.

Prosecutors said Cirner had sexually explicit online chats with two investigators he thought were 13- and 14-year-old girls. The alleged conversations began in March and continued until Cirner's arrest, police said.

"Sometimes you're not aware until it happens. I feel bad for the students," said Herb Lippincott, a parent in the school district.

The school issued a statement, saying, “The charges do not have anything whatsoever to do with any students in the Monessen City School District. Mr. Cirner has been suspended with pay pending further investigation by the state Attorney General's Office."

On Tuesday, former Monessen High School teacher Ashley Herre-Bagwell, 29, was arrested on charges that she had sexual contact with several female students.

The 10th-grade teacher was suspended when the allegations first came to light in March. The district fired Herre-Bagwell in June.

Previous Stories: September 8, 2010: Ex-Monessen Teacher Accused Of Sexual Contact With Students

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