A former Central Bucks teacher was charged with sending a child inappropriate sexual messages

A former Central Bucks School District teacher has been charged with corruption of a minor after sending messages to a child about sexual encounters and relationships.

Michael London, 31, of Warrington, appeared to be grooming the child “in the hopes of initiating a sexual relationship,” according to the criminal complaint filed last month by Bucks County detectives.

The complaint, which did not specify the age or gender of the child, said London had sent “numerous inappropriate messages” to the child, asking whether the child was engaged in sexual relationships. London, who shared information about his own sexual experiences, asked for photos of the child “under the guise of inspecting (the child’s) physique,” according to the complaint.

London also spoke with the child about drinking alcohol and described his own masturbation habits, according to the complaint, which said that detectives interviewed the child and reviewed messages exchanged with London.

Some messages were sent on Instagram in “vanish mode,” disappearing after they were read, according to the complaint.

A lawyer for London, Craig Penglase, did not return a request for comment Tuesday. London, who was released on $100,000 unsecured bail, waived a preliminary hearing Monday and is due to be arraigned Aug. 11.

The complaint did not specify whether the child in question was a Central Bucks student. However, in a message to the community Monday, Superintendent Abram Lucabaugh said the charges stemmed from an internal investigation conducted by the district, after an initial investigation by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office didn’t find evidence of criminality.

A spokesperson for the district attorney declined to comment Tuesday on the district’s role in the investigation. The D.A.’s Office said it began its investigation in September.

London was hired as a long-term substitute math teacher at Central Bucks South High School in 2014, according to school board minutes.

In his message, Lucabaugh noted that another Central Bucks teacher, longtime choir director Joseph Ohrt, was recently sentenced to jail for molesting two students and secretly recording another.

“As a district, we take these matters seriously,” Lucabaugh said. He said the district had suspended London without pay when allegations came to light, and continued to suspend him after the district attorney’s initial investigation concluded. The school board voted to fire London in December.

“Moving forward, this incident is a stark reminder of the importance of vigilance, vetting, and training to ensure every student can learn and grow, safely. It is also an example of why I continue to maintain my stance on protecting our students from sexualization, in any form and in any medium,” Lucabaugh said.

Amid controversy around the district’s treatment of LGBTQ students, Lucabaugh has previously said he called for the reviews of five library books — including Gender Queer and This Book is Gay, which the district has since banned — out of “a responsibility to guard against the sexualization of children.”