Teacher Returns To Classroom After Pleading In Neighbor Dispute Cases

A teacher in the Bristol Township School District returned to the classroom last week after his three criminal cases stemming from a neighborhood dispute were settled with a guilty plea.

Andrew Troutman, 36, returned to the classroom to teach second-grade at Bristol Township’s Clara Barton Elementary School at the end of April. The return to the classroom happened more than a month after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges including intimidating a witness, disorderly conduct, fabrication of physical evidence and false reports.

According to county court records, Troutman was sentenced to three years of probation, all of which will run concurrently. He was also ordered by Senior Judge Clyde Waite to get a mental health evaluation, have no contact with the victims and attend anger management classes.

“Mr. Troutman returned to his classroom on Wednesday, April 27, to co-teach along with the long-term substitute who has been serving in his absence. There is nothing on Mr. Troutman’s Federal Criminal History Record that would bar him from teaching students in a classroom,” the district said in a statement sent to LevittownNow.com.

While some parents who called and emailed LevittownNow.com raised concerns about the teacher returning to work and not receiving notification from the school, there were others who praised Troutman’s work in the classroom.

“Mr. Troutman did a great job when my student had him in class. I think it sounds like he messed up at home and he paid for it,” said one Clara Barton parent, who did not wish to have their name published. “It happened outside of school and it should be left that way.”

Troutman was charged after an ongoing neighborhood dispute in the Snowball Gate section of Levittown. He was accused of escalating arguments with his neighbors by making threats and even spitting on one man. In December, police charged Troutman with fabricating evidence after DNA results showed threatening letters sent to his family and neighbors were actually created by the educator. A detective wrote that they had “probable cause to believe Andrew Troutman created and sent threatening and harassing notes to himself in an attempt to mislead law enforcement authorities into believing they had been created and sent by one or more of his neighbors.”

The most serious charges against the 36 year old were dropped or reduced.

Troutman and his family have since moved from Snowball Gate.

If there are no probation violations, Troutman’s cases will be closed out within the next year.

In addition to the sentence, the judge ordered the educator to pay court costs.

Troutman said he did not wish to comment for this article.