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57-year-old former choir director Joseph Ohrt was sentenced to between two and a half years and five years in prison on Monday, June 12, for indecently assaulting at least two students. Ohrt is best known for having once taught music superstar Pink. The earliest accusations against him go as far back as the 1990's.
Trigger warning: This article mentions details of assault, reader discretion is advised.
As per the Bucks County District Attorney's Office, the charges against Joseph Ohrt include corruption of minors, invasion of privacy, indecent assault, and tampering with evidence. He pleaded no contest to the charges, which meant he accepted his convictions without pleading guilty.
The modus operandi of Joseph Ohrt
According to prosecutors, Joseph Ohrt allegedly abused a sixth grader at Linden Elementary in 1991. The incident reportedly occured in the school's music room during a choir class. Another victim claimed that in 1996, when he was 13, Ohrt had molested him while he was babysitting in the former choir-teacher's home.
One victim, who remained anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the crime, condemned Ohrt's actions:
“You not only invaded my privacy, but you invaded my entire being," the victim stated.
The case against Joseph Ohrt began in February 2022 due to more recent allegations. The former choir teacher supposedly placed a hidden camera in his bedroom, which he used to record a former male student as the young man undressed. A male who lived with Ohrt, identified as Race Taylor, reported the suspect's behavior to police.
On October 2021, Ohrt reportedly told Race Taylor to move out of his home. Subsequently, after learning that a detective wanted to talk to him, he allegedly attempted to eliminate any evidence of wrongdoing.
The police affidavit read:
“On October 27, 2021, Taylor began loading his van with his belongings. As he was loading the van, the defendant was also giving Taylor various items and placing bags in the Taylor’s van. In addition to the bags and other items, the defendant handed Taylor a silver Acer laptop computer that Taylor knew was one of three computers the defendant had in the house"
The affidavit continued:
"The defendant told Taylor that he watched (inappropriate material) on the Acer computer, but that he had run the computer under water. The defendant asked Taylor to dispose of everything in a ‘nonpublic manner.”
According to the authorities, Ohrt was attempting to destroy several articles of clothing, some of which may have belonged to minors. He also attempted to rid himself of any digital devices which had inappropriate videos of children on the hard drive.
In court, Judge Jeffrey L Finley noted that Ohrt appeared to lack any remorse for his actions. After the suspect is released, he will have to register as a predator for 15 years.
