GREENSBURG, Pa. — A former substitute teacher at a local high school is accused of harassing a female student with obscene gestures and a poem filled with profanity.
According to court documents, 41-year-old Troy T. Perkins is facing charges of disorderly conduct and harassment after an incident that took place at Hempfield High School on April 21. Police in Westmoreland County say they arrived at the high school after they received a tip from the ChildLine.
Witnesses say that Perkins approached the victim in the school library with a note he considered to be a poem. The note was allegedly filled with profanities and contained multiple insults toward the student.
Authorities also say that when the defendant repeatedly asked the victim if she liked the poem. The student asked if she could keep the note and Perkins allegedly said the victim would “have a better chance of Jesus Christ coming down and giving [her the] poem than she would of [him] handing it to [her.]
Police say they viewed surveillance footage that showed Perkins walking past the victim multiple times and making obscene gestures towards her as he did.
Perkins is set to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on May 10.