High school javelin coach arrested for sexual abuse of 17-year-old student that started with 2 a.m. text for sex, DA says

A Pennsylvania javelin coach was arrested and charged with sex crimes for an alleged inappropriate relationship with a teenage student.

Hannah Marth was a 26-year-old track and field coach at the Northampton Area High School. During an interview with Pennsylvania State Police, Marth allegedly confessed to having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old male student that began in May 2021.

Northampton County District Attorney Terence Houck said in a statement on Thursday, "On May 22, 2021, at approximately 2 a.m., Marth texted the victim and invited him to her residence on Hunsicker Drive in Lehigh Township, Northampton County, where Marth initiated sexual contact with the victim."

The 17-year-old victim, who was an athlete on the track and field team, told investigators that the relationship with Marth lasted until October 2022.

"A trusted relationship between a student-athlete, an athlete’s parent, and a coach can be a vulnerable one," Houck said. "An abuse of that relationship shows a coach’s blatant disregard for the well-being of those she or he coached, and above all – the law. This defendant defied that trust when she committed this alleged crime against the victim."

Marth was hit with third-degree felony charges of institutional sexual assault and sexual assault by a sports official.

She was arraigned on Thursday afternoon and released on $75,000 unsecured bail.

Marth is scheduled to return to court on April 27 for her preliminary hearing.

Northampton Area Schools superintendent Joseph Kovalchik told Lehigh Valley Live that Marth had never been a teacher in the school district. Following the child sex crime allegations, Marth was placed on administrative leave from coaching javelin at the school.

The school district said it will "cooperate fully with the authorities in this matter and will take all necessary action to ensure the safety of our students."

A Fox News report from last May found that more than a teacher per day was arrested for child sex crimes between Jan. 1, 2022, and May 13, 2022. There were 135 teachers and school staff arrested in the timeframe of 132 days, according to the analysis. Of the teachers arrested for sexual abuse against children, 76% were men.

A 2014 report by the Government Accountability Office declared, "The prevalence of sexual abuse by school personnel remains unknown, in part, because some cases go unreported. Further, the term sexual abuse may not capture the full spectrum of the issue."

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