On July 2, 2019 Lancaster Bureau of Police, Special Investigations Unit (SIU), received a referral from Lancaster County Children and Youth. The affiant in the referral detailed that he had been a student at JP McCaskey High School between 2011 - 2015. During those years, a teacher at the High School pursued a sexual relationship with him. There were multiple instances that occurred at the school during and after school hours, at the suspect's home and other locations.
Detectives met and conducted an interview with the victim/affiant. The victim related that one of his teachers, identified as Timothy Sterner, spent a great deal of time conducting what are known as grooming behaviors. The victim told investigators that Sterner spent countless hours with him, taking him out to meals, providing him with money, shopping trips and providing him with clothing/shoes, provided him with a cellular phone with a service plan, took the victim on several trips outside of the Commonwealth and paid a large portion of the expenses need for the victim to travel to Europe with Sterner.
The victim reported that Sterner showed him pornography on his cellular phone or at his computer at JP McCaskey HS during and after school hours as well as other times an locations in Lancaster County and in Sterner's home.
The victim reported that during his high school years Sterner repeatedly asked the victim to engage in sexual acts with him. Those requests were made in person and on a cellular phone by Sterner at JP McCaskey HS, various locations in Lancaster County, the State of Delaware and countries in Europe.
The victim stated that one more than one occasion, while at Sterner's home , Sterner pulled the victim's head toward his groin and asked the victim to perform a sexual act on him. The victim also disclosed that Sterner repeatedly asked the victim to send him pictures of his genitalia and for videos of the victim masturbating. Sterner reportedly sent images of his genitals to the victim as well as videos of himself while masturbating. Those images and videos were sent to the victim's cellular phone.
The victim related that on more than one occasion when the victim and Sterner were in the basement of Sterner's home, Sterner did remove his own clothes, exposed his genitals to the victim and did manipulate himself in front of the victim.
Once Detectives had the preliminary information they conducted numerous follow up investigations. Detectives consulted with the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office. Det. Lowe filed a Criminal Complaint against Sterner charging him with Criminal Attempt- Institutional Sexual Assault of a Minor (F3), Criminal Solicitation- Institutional Sexual Assault of a Minor (F3), Sexual Abuse of Children (F2), (3) Counts Corruption of Minors (F3 & M1), Criminal Use of Communication Facility (F3), (3) Counts Unlawful Contact With Minor (F3), Indecent Exposure (M2), Obscene and other Sexual Materials and Performances (F3) and Endangering the Welfare of Children (F3).
On Monday August 5, 2019 Det. Lowe and other members of SIU met with Sterner at JP McCaskey HS. Sterner arrived at the Lancaster Bureau of Police station. He was later placed on record on the Criminal Complaint filed by Det. Lowe. Sterner was arraigned on August 5, 2019. Bail was set at $2,000,000
All persons accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court
