File Photo (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joseph Barron)
LEHIGH COUNTY, PA – Francis Anonia, 44, of Allentown, the ex-Parkland School District administrator charged with secretly recording a student during theater rehearsals and performances, is set to face trial on Dec. 1, according to a news release from the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office.
Anonia resigned from the Parkland School District in June 2024 after several complaints and misconduct reports came to light.
He was charged exactly a year ago today with five counts each of intercept communications and criminal use of a communication facility, all felonies. He was also charged with nine misdemeanor counts of invasion of privacy.
He remains free while awaiting trial after posting $50,000 bail.
Timeline:
In February 2023, Anonia’s cellphone was seized by Allentown Police in regard to an investigation surrounding his fiancé and former student, William Marshall, according to the district attorney’s office.
Marshall subsequently pled guilty to possession of child sex abuse material and was sentenced to over 11 years in jail.
Anonia’s cell phone has remained in police possession since he agreed to abandon it in April 2024 during a police interview, the office said. That month, numerous reports of Anonia’s alleged inappropriate behavior surfaced when several former students and teachers came forward. This led to a judge authorizing a search warrant for his cellphone in May of that year. During the search, detectives discovered photos and videos of a student on the phone, the office also said.
‘More than a decade’ of alleged inappropriate behavior
What’s next:
Anonia’s legal team wants that evidence suppressed at trial, and during a hearing earlier this week, Lehigh County District Attorney Detective Gregg Dietz ordered attorneys to file briefs about the seizure of the cellphone.
“On cross-examination, defense counsel elicited testimony from Detective Dietz detailing former students’ reports of Anonia’s inappropriate behavior over more than a decade, including acts that occurred in other countries and Anonia’s alleged failure to report sexual abuse he witnessed involving a third party who was ultimately tried and convicted in another county,” the news release said.
The Source: Information was sourced from the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office and Lehigh Valley News.
Crime & Public SafetyLehigh County
