Honk News (Norristown, PA) – “I wonder what your lips taste like and I hope to god there’s a chance for me to find out.”
A middle school teacher in the Norristown Area School District reportedly aimed to convey a message to one of his 13-year-old students via a text on his cell phone, according to police sources.
On Monday, March 17, 2025, authorities in Montgomery County took John Richards, 57, from Newtown Square, into custody. Richards, an eighth-grade teacher at Blockson Middle School in Norristown, is accused of using his cell phone to send inappropriate messages and soliciting “at least two kisses” from a 13-year-old student.
Police report that an investigation revealed that on Monday, Richards composed a message on his phone and subsequently translated it into Spanish. The individual subsequently summoned the victim to the front of the classroom, revealing a message on his personal phone that expressed his desire to kiss her twice during the class outing.
Authorities have confirmed that the school trip is set to take place on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.
A student recorded the message on her personal cell phone, as indicated in court documents. According to reports, she purportedly informed authorities that her classmates urged her to document her exchanges with Richards, her science teacher, as he had been behaving in a “strange” manner.
Following the encounter, authorities reported that the student reached out to her father, the principal, and the school resource officer to inform them about the incident.
Upon the officers’ arrival at the school to address the allegations with Richards, authorities asserted that he was actively composing another message to the student on his mobile device.
According to court documents, he reportedly pressed the phone to his chest as law enforcement arrived on the scene. Officers seized the phone, and according to court documents, investigators successfully retrieved a message that was in progress, which contained the student’s name.
Officials from the district have announced that school personnel are collaborating with law enforcement and intend to terminate Richards, emphasizing that there is “no place in Norristown Area School District or any school setting for someone facing charges of mistreatment of a student.”
On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, officials reported that Richards surrendered to authorities.
Charges have been filed against him for attempted institutional sexual assault, attempted solicitation for institutional sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, and other related offenses.
Law enforcement officials reported that he was arraigned, with bail set at $10,000.
Richards is set to return to court on March 27, 2025.