26-Year-Old Track & Field Coach Hannah Marth Arrested and Charged For Allegedly Having Sex With A Student

A former Northampton County Track & Field coach got accused of sexually assaulting a student-athlete a few years ago.

According to a statement released on Thursday by Northampton County District Attorney Terry Houck, 26-year-old Hannah Marth of Lehigh Township faces third-degree felony charges of institutional sexual assault and sexual assault by a sports official.

On Thursday afternoon, Marth appeared in court. Her attorney’s name didn’t get mentioned in the court records. The phone number for her home that was listed also didn’t connect.

According to a news release by Houck’s office, the charges relate to Marth’s position as a javelin coach for the Northampton Area High School track and field team in May 2021.

On Thursday, Northampton Area Schools Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik told lehighvalleylive.com that Marth has never been a teacher in that school district and that she was removed from her coaching duties after they got informed of the alleged incident.

Kovalchik stated that because this was a personnel issue, the district did not immediately provide further information.

Marth’s latest employer, Easton Area School District, is conducting its own investigation following the claims against her, head prosecutor’s office representative Davin Jurgensen told lehighvalleylive.com.

In a statement released on Thursday, Easton Area Schools Superintendent David Piperato stated: “I have been informed that the Northampton County District’s Attorney’s Office has brought criminal charges against Hanna Marth, a teacher at Easton Area School District. As a practice, the School District does not comment on ongoing criminal matters or personnel matters. However, the School District intends to cooperate fully with the authorities in this matter and will take all necessary action to ensure the safety of our students.”

In May 2021, the victim was a male student-athlete at Northampton Area High School who was under the age of 18.

According to the DA’s news release, Marth and the teen were in a sexual relationship after the Pennsylvania State Police conducted an investigation: On May 22, 2021, around 2 a.m., Marth sent the victim a text and invited him to her house, Hunsicker Drive in Lehigh Township. There, Marth had a sexual relationship with the victim. That is the date recorded in court records for the supposed offenses.

While Marth was in police custody, she “confessed to having a romantic involvement with the victim in May 2021,” the press release states. According to the DA’s office, the victim told police during an interview that he and Marth were in a relationship that lasted until October 2022.

“A trusted relationship between a student-athlete, an athlete’s parent, and a coach can be a vulnerable one,” Houck states in the release. “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 released on $75,000 in unsecured bail at her arraignment before District Judge Robert Hawke. To determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed with the charges toward trial in county court, her preliminary hearing got scheduled for April 27th before Hawke.

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Quincy Thomas

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