What to Know
- A Long Island teacher was arrested after he was accused of raping one of his underage teen students in 2020, according to police.
- William Sperl was arrested around noon Tuesday at the Bellport campus of Eastern Suffolk BOCES; he has worked as an audio production teacher at the Riverhead campus of the school for 17 years
- Sperl was charged with four counts of third-degree rape and seven counts of third-degree criminal sex acts, all felonies. He pleaded not guilty.
A Long Island teacher was arrested after he was accused of raping one of his underage teen students in 2020, according to police.
William Sperl was arrested around noon Tuesday at the Bellport campus of Eastern Suffolk BOCES, the school where he worked, Suffolk County police said. Sperl works as an audio production teacher at the Riverhead campus of the school, which is set to resume classes in just a week.
The 60-year-old Sperl, who lives in Deer Park and has worked at the school for 17 years, had a sexual relationship with the female student who was 16 years old at the time, according to police. Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said the teacher first met the student when she was 15, when she was in one of his classes.
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Harrison said the incidents took place in multiple locations, including on a school bus, at beaches in the county, and at Sperl's home when his family was not home.
Sperl was charged with four counts of third-degree rape and seven counts of third-degree criminal sex acts, all felonies. He pleaded not guilty.
At his arraignment Wednesday, the judge set Sperl's bond at $400,000 bond. His attorney said his client is a lifelong Long Island resident who has been married for more than 30 years, with four adult children and now grandchildren.
News
His wife didn't say much to reporters after her husband's court appearance, only saying that she loves her husband very much.
In a statement, East Suffolk BOCES said it was fully cooperating with the police investigation, adding that Sperl would be put on home assignment as classes move forward with other instructors.
"The safety of our students, faculty, staff and community is Eastern Suffolk BOCES foremost priority. Eastern Suffolk BOCES will provide its community with an update as more details that can be shared become available," the statement from the school concluded.
An investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the case, or if there are other victims, is asked to contact the Suffolk County Special Victims Section at 631-852-6361.
