A high school choir director from Pennsylvania is facing sexual assault charges after her husband discovered her alleged affair with a 17-year-old student and alerted school administrators.
Olivia Ortz, the choir director at Wilmington Area High School, was arrested Monday after police discovered more than one hundred messages between her and a 17-year-old student on the chat function of the Spotify music-streaming app, the New York Post reported Tuesday. Police acted on a tip from Ortz’s husband, who found the messages detailing his wife’s alleged affair with her student on her iPad and reportedly told the school’s principal, according to the outlet. Ortz’s husband freelanced with the school’s music department.
A district judge Friday issued a warrant for the arrest of Olivia Lois Ortz, 26, of Hermitage, who is accused of having an inappropriate physical romantic relationship with a 17-year-old female student while Ortz was the Wilmington choral director. https://t.co/YsCRlGufGD
— New Castle News (@NewCastleNews) May 17, 2022
The student who Ortz allegedly had the affair with also spoke with police and alleged that the pair had sex on several instances while Ortz’s husband was away on a trip, WTAE reported. The 17-year-old’s father reportedly discovered the conversation between Ortz and his daughter and took away her access to technology, but Ortz allegedly continued to communicate with the minor, according to WTAE. The minor also returned to Ortz’s home to “comfort her” after Ortz’s husband discovered the alleged affair.
Police executed a search warrant on Ortz’s home and took her cell phone and iPad, according to the outlet.
Ortz is not the first teacher from Wilmington Area High School to have an alleged inappropriate relationship with a student. Jonathan Priano, the school’s band and former music teacher, was also accused of misconduct, New Castle News reported. Priano allegedly tickled female students’ feet and had “close, personal relationships with them,” according to the outlet. Priano’s case is pending, with a pre-trial hearing set for June 29.
Ortz is currently being held in a Lawrence County jail with a hearing set for May 25, the New York Post reported.