A Howard County student testified Wednesday that a River Hill High School teacher pulled down his pants and took nude photographs of him in a classroom after school last year.
The boy?s testimony came on the first day of the trial of Alan Beier, 53, of Columbia, who faces charges of sex abuse of a minor, fourth-degree sex offense and second-degree assault.
The student testified he went to the Clarksville school about 6 p.m. on Jan. 8, 2007, to earn honor-society credits by helping Beier set up lights and posing in test photographs for the “Mr. River Hill High School” contest.
The student, who was 16 at the time, said Beier told him to bring a bathing suit and pose like an “Abercrombie” model, then took photos of him flexing his muscles. Then, the student said, Beier told him to strip down to his boxer shorts.
“Mr. Beier walked up to me, pulled my boxers down, gave me a Ping-Pong paddle and told me to cover up,” the student testified.
“He said, ?This is the risque shot,? and since I was president of the Ping-Pong club, it would be great to have a Ping-Pong paddle” covering the boy?s genitals.
The student said Beier also combed back his hair and complimented his forehead.
“I knew something was extremely wrong with what happened, and I needed to tell someone,” the student said.
A friend of the student testified that the student came to him and another friend immediately after the incident and they wrote down what he said.
The student?s father testified he called police after his son began crying and handed him the friends? notes.
Defense attorney Joshua Treem has conceded that Beier took photos of the student, but questioned the student?s recollection of Beier?s touching him while combing his hair and pulling down his boxers.
Beier, who chose to have Howard Circuit Judge Diane Leasure hear his case instead of a jury, also is accused of fondling a 17-year-old female student during class twice in 2006 and with sex abuse of a minor, a male student at River Hill High in April 2006. Those cases have been postponed.
