Burch

HOLLIDAYSBURG – A Blair County jury on Thursday acquitted the former Bellwood-Antis School District athletic director of the felony victim/witness intimidation charge filed against him in January 2024 that developed after a middle school wrestling coach was convicted of sexually assaulting two middle school students.

Charles Burch, 53, Bellwood, exhaled a sigh of relief in the courtroom upon hearing the “not guilty” verdict announced about an hour after the jury was dismissed for deliberations.

“I have never felt more relief in my entire life,” Burch said outside the courtroom, where he embraced supportive family and friends who attended his two-day trial. “I’m on top of the world.”

Meanwhile, the 18-year-old victim who said Burch told him in early 2020 not to talk to anyone about what was going on at wrestling practice – because he could be suspended or benched from the football team – acknowledged his disappointment with the verdict.

The victim, his mother and their friends, who clasped hands in the courtroom as they waited for the verdict, congregated a short time later outside the courthouse where they struggled to describe their disappointment.

“Very disappointed,” the mother and son agreed.

“It’s the system,” one of their friends added. “If there’s doubt, there’s doubt.”

Defense attorney Thomas Hooper told the jury that the case was full of reasonable doubt and presented a tsunami of cause for hesitation.

Hooper repeatedly reminded the jurors of how the teenager’s version of what happened changed as the defense uncovered contradictory evidence.

“This case should never have been in court,” Hooper said.

The defense attorney took that same position when asking President Judge Wade A. Kagarise to dismiss the charge without giving the case to the jury. But Kagarise declined because he said credibility issues should rest with a jury.

“The speed with which they reached the verdicts speaks volumes,” Hooper said later.

The state Office of Attorney General filed the third degree felony charge against Burch, with supporting documents indicating that the threat occured in Burch’s office on Feb. 20, 2020, after Burch summoned the youth from his mid-morning third period English class.

Hooper, however, collected records from the school district and called in witnesses to confirm that no phone calls were made between Burch’s office and the youth’s third period English classroom.

The youth, however, said he was upset by his conversation with Burch and used his cellphone to telephone his mother from the school restroom.

To check into that claim, Hooper secured cellphone records showing the youth made one call – at 7:51 a.m. on Feb. 19, 2020 – to his mother’s phone – lasting 25 seconds.

Hooper also challenged the idea that Burch had threatened the youth before that call by reviewing a work schedule showing Burch had hall monitoring duty starting at 7:30 a.m. In addition, he called in a retired high school secretary to tell the jury she rarely left her desk and never saw the youth go into Burch’s office.

When the mother testified, she confirmed that her son had called her from school and said Burch threatened to keep him from playing football.

The mother, in trying to figure out what was going on, subsequently turned to another parent to get the name of a state police detective investigating sexual assault allegations against wrestling coach Ryan Blazier.

Blazier, convicted in October 2020 of seven sexual assault offenses, is serving a sentence of 21 to 42 years’ incarceration.

Senior Deputy Attorney General Lauren Eichelberger asked the jury in her closing argument to remember that the mother subsequently sent an email to her brother – the youth’s uncle – who in response said her son should tell the detective everything and “f- playing football for them.”

Eichelberger also challenged witnesses who testified about Burch’s hall monitoring duty and the secretary who said she never saw the youth go into Burch’s office.

“Can you list everyone you encounter within a day … everyone you walk by or walks by you … as much as two weeks ago?” Eichelberger said.

She likened the typical lack of recall to not being able to remember what you ate for breakfast.

“But if you had worms in your oatmeal, you’d remember that,” she said.

Burch, who took the witness stand in his own defense, told the jury that he never summoned the youth to his office. Burch also said he never missed his hall monitoring assignments.

“I want to thank attorney Hooper for leaving no stone unturned,” he added outside court. “He’s been amazing.”

Hooper said he initiated a civil suit on Burch’s behalf against the state AG’s office for filing the charge based on false allegations.

Burch also expressed gratitude for the community’s support.

While he has been on leave because of the pending charge, Burch said he intends to return to his job with the district – which includes teaching and coaching duties in addition to athletic director.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.