Preliminary hearing moved for former Highlands teacher accused of sex assault

A preliminary hearing for Sean Dicer, a former Highlands School District teacher charged with sexual assault, has been moved from District Judge Carolyn Bengel’s office in Brackenridge.

Dicer, 53, of Brackenridge, is instead scheduled to appear at 10:30 a.m. Monday before District Judge Michael J. Girardi in Harmar.

His attorney, Duke George, said the venue was moved because Bengel recused herself. It was not immediately clear why she recused herself.

Dicer, a district teacher for nearly 20 years, was arrested Thursday and charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, unlawful contact with a minor and sexual extortion. In addition to teaching, he was well-known in the community because of his photography business and was a frequent fixture at youth activities and sporting events.

An investigation into Dicer began Nov. 7 after Tarentum police forwarded to county police a report made to ChildLine, the state’s child abuse hotline. A tip was made by a 16-year-old boy claiming he had been abused several years earlier by Dicer.

A second boy’s claim also was investigated. The boys, now 16, were 11 and 12 when the alleged assaults occurred, according to a criminal complaint.

Police said the incidents happened in summer 2021 at Dicer’s home.

Dicer’s Facebook profile, which is no longer online, indicated he left Highlands in 2022. He most recently worked at Penn Christian Academy in Penn Township for one year, beginning in November 2024.

County police are seeking additional information from the public, as they have received information that indicates there might be more victims.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call the county tip line at 833-ALL-TIPS (833-255-8477).