Former Haverford elementary school teacher sentenced to probation for masturbating at Ambler park

A former fifth-grade teacher at a Haverford Township school entered a no-contest plea to publicly masturbating and exposing himself to passersby at a cemetery in Ambler.

Matthew Gagat, 47, was sentenced to two years of probation for indecent exposure by Montgomery County Court Judge Risa Vetri Ferman, according to prosecutors. As a result of the plea — in which he did not admit guilt but did not dispute the facts of the case — Gagat must undergo a psychosexual evaluation and will be on sex-offender supervision during his probation.

Gagat’s attorney, Ellis Klein, said Wednesday that his client was satisfied with Ferman’s sentence.

“There was no admission of guilt, and that came into play,” Klein said. “That and the fact that he got probation, certainly led him to his decision.”

Police in Horsham Township said a couple walking their dog in Whitemarsh Cemetery saw Gagat masturbating there on March 3, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest. At first, the two thought he was urinating, but later saw that he had undone his pants and was touching himself.

When the two returned to their vehicle, they again saw Gagat, this time “actively masturbating” as he walked behind a woman, the affidavit said.

Gagat denied masturbating when questioned by police, saying he was urinating on a tree while walking through the cemetery to “clear his mind.”

While out on bail in the Ambler case, Gagat was arrested by police in June, after a woman said he exposed himself to her and was masturbating on a walking trail at Lenape Park in Sellersville. That case is pending in Bucks County.

Klein said Gagat plans on fighting that case: The witness, Klein said, “didn’t see what she thought she saw,” based on her position across a river from Gagat.

On Monday, Gagat was scheduled to have a hearing before Judge Ferman to discuss prosecutors’ attempt to revoke his bail in the Montgomery County case, due to that second arrest. Instead, Gagat entered into the negotiated plea agreement.

Gagat has been suspended from his position as a fifth-grade teacher at Lynnewood Elementary School, according to a statement from Haverford Township School District Superintendent Maureen Reusche.

In a letter sent to parents in July, Reusche said that neither the district nor the state Department of Education had been notified of either of his arrests, and that he had been teaching at the school between March and June. Officials became aware of his criminal cases only after being contacted by reporters.

Gagat apparently violated state law, she said, by failing to disclose that information to the district.

“I can assure you that if the school district had been aware of or notified of these events, we would have immediately removed the teacher from the classroom,” Reusche said.

“The fact that we were not notified is extremely alarming and simply unacceptable. It prevents us from immediately taking the steps necessary to ensure our students are safe, undermines our professional integrity, and has caused significant concern.”