HOLLIDAYSBURG — A jury was selected Monday in Blair County court to hear allegations against a former Bellwood-Antis School District leader accused of failing to carry out a safety plan to keep former wrestling coach Ryan Blazier from unsupervised contact with students.

Former head wrestling coach Timothy D. Andrekovich, 60, is scheduled for a three-day jury trial starting Jan. 21 on a third-degree felony charge of endangering the welfare of children.

The charge, filed by the state Office of Attorney General, developed during an investigation into sexual assault allegations by two middle school students who said Blazier sexually assaulting them on school grounds in 2019 and 2020.

Blazier, based on convictions handed down in an October 2021 jury trial, is serving a sentence of 21- to 42-years’ incarceration.

The state AG’s office, as outlined in a criminal complaint filed in January, maintains that Andrekovich’s lack of action — while he was head wrestling coach — allowed Blazier to keep working with middle school wrestlers behind closed doors, despite a safety plan to keep Blazier from unsupervised access to children while under investigation for child sexual abuse allegations.

State College attorney Lance Marshall, who represents Andrekovich, has filed no pre-trial motions to the single charge, thereby putting the case in a position to move to trial.

During Monday’s jury selection, Marshall asked the jurors — and they confirmed — that if Andrekovich testifies, they won’t judge his testimony as less credible because he’s the defendant.

State Deputy AG Julia Leeuwen also asked jurors for confirmation of their ability to judge the honesty and credibility of witnesses, no matter if they’re adults or children. Chosen jurors indicated that they could do that.

Judge David Consiglio, who presided over Monday’s jury selection, also directed the panel of 12 jurors and four alternates to avoid researching the case. He also told the jurors not to discuss the case with others and advised them to return to court in January with an open mind.

“All of the evidence will be presented at trial,” Consiglio said.