Credit: Bucks County District Attorney’s Office
A Council Rock High School North social studies teacher pleaded guilty to charges in a case where authorities alleged he attempted to engage with someone he thought was a minor for a sex act.
Steven Allan Struzinski, 43, from Plumstead Township, pleaded guilty at the Bucks County Justice Center on Tuesday to attempted unlawful contact with a minor – sexual exploitation, according to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
Court of Common Pleas Judge Wallace Bateman deferred sentencing for Struzinski, and he remains free on $25,000 bail.
According to court records reviewed by NewtownPANow.com, Struzinski’s guilty plea in the case had been in the works since earlier this summer.
Struzinski has been on administrative leave from his job as a social studies teacher at Council Rock High School North since his arrest in spring.
Struzinski’s LinkedIn profile indicates a nearly two-decade career with the Council Rock School District.
An investigation by Buckingham Township police started in March after receiving a report about a male supposedly engaging in illegal communication with a minor, according to court papers.
Police said the person who reported the incident told them that between May 20, 2022 and May 23, 2022 he had been messaging an adult man, who was eventually identified as Struzinski, while pretending to be a 13-year-old boy.
The interaction began on a social media dating platform, where Struzinski was informed of the age, police said.
Struzinski allegedly requested sex, started graphic sexual chats, and planned to meet the person he thought was a child in May at George Bush Park in Buckingham Township, according to authorities.
According to the witness, Struzinski showed up at the park that day at 3 p.m., police said.
Authorities said that once a bystander snapped a picture of the car and its license plate, Struzinski left the area.
The image of the vehicle’s license plate led to investigators linking the car to Struzinski, police said.
In a note to parents and guardians at the time of the arrest, Superintendent Dr. Andrew J. Sanko reassured that no students were involved.
Struzinski’s attorney declined comment on the guilty plea.
