Ex-Seton LaSalle teacher to face trial on charges of groping student

A former Seton LaSalle Catholic High School substitute teacher will face trial on charges that he sexually assaulted a student in his classroom at the Catholic school in Mt. Lebanon.

Damon Gall, 24, of Canonsburg, is accused of sexual assault and uttering inappropriate comments when they were alone together while she took a test in December.

Gall was held for court Wednesday on charges of institutional sexual assault, corruption of minors, and two counts of indecent assault of a person under 16 years old following a preliminary hearing before Mt. Lebanon District Judge Hilary Wheatley.

Gall’s next stop will be in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.

A criminal complaint filed against Gall said that he confessed to Mt. Lebanon police.

Gall was fired from Seton LaSalle last month, the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh told TribLive on Wednesday.

“The safety of our students is our utmost priority, and Seton LaSalle follows all safety protocol[s] in hiring the people who will be around our students,” the diocese said in a prepared statement.

The alleged victim and Mt. Lebanon police Detective Sam Smolarek testified during the 40-minute hearing. TribLive does not identify alleged sexual assault victims.

The incident occurred after students were dismissed from class but the girl remained behind to complete a test, according the arrest papers.

The situation ended when the girl received a call about her ride home and stood up to leave, the complaint said.

“That’s disappointing,” Gall said, according to the complaint.

The girl reported the incident Jan. 23 to the school, and a counselor contacted ChildLine, the state’s abuse reporting hotline.

Smolarek said Gall admitted during an interview that there was “a little bit of touching.”

“I know I should not have done that and I will regret that for the rest of my life,” Gall told police, according to Smolarek.

Gall previously worked in the Ringgold School District in Washington County, online records show.

An official there declined to comment Wednesday “on any topics related to personnel matters.”

Gall’s teaching certification with the state Department of Education remained active Wednesday.

The state’s Educator Discipline Act requires a notice and hearing before Gall’s certification can be suspended, Casey Smith, an Education Department spokeswoman said.

She said that she could not comment on a specific case.

“To be clear, local school districts have full authority to remove a teacher from the classroom before formal action is taken regarding the teaching certificate,” Smith said.