A former River Hill High School teacher did not use his nude photos of a student for his personal sexual gratification, his defense attorney argued Thursday.
“There certainly was no looking at [the victim?s] penis or genital area, there was certainly no touching and no arousal at any time,” defense attorney Joshua Treem argued before a Howard County judge.
Alan Beier, 53, of Columbia, is facing charges of sexually abusing a minor and second-degree assault involving a 16-year-old boy. He chose a bench trial before Howard Circuit Judge Diane Leasure, who is expected to deliver a verdict today. If convicted, Beier could be sentenced up to 35 years in prison.
He did not testify; the defense did not call any witnesses.
The student, now 18, testified during a two-day trial that Beier asked him to come back to the Clarksville school about 6 p.m. 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 teen said Beier pulled down his boxer shorts and took nude photographs of the boy. Police later found the digital photos on two of Beier?s computers.
Treem said Beier was eye-level with the boy and gave him a pingpong paddle to cover his genitals before taking any photographs.
Treem said prosecutors were “speculating” that Beier loaded the photos onto his computer for later sexual gratification, and Beier may have planned to delete the photos as he had promised the boy.
Assistant State?s Attorney Mary Murphy argued that Beier planned the offense by purchasing lights and bringing a pingpong paddle and a sheet for the backdrop. Beier also asked the student to bring a bathing suit, but contestants normally wear a suit and tie, prosecutors said.
Murphy said Beier touched the boy when lowering his pants, pulling down his boxers and combing back his hair. Beier also looked at the boy?s buttocks and genital area when pulling down his pants, prosecutors said.
“If this isn?t sexual exploitation, I don?t know what is. There is no other reason to take a boy?s pants down,” Murphy said as Beier put his hands to his head.
Police also have charged Beier with fondling a 17-year-old female student and sexual misconduct with a third student. Those trials have not been scheduled.
