Eastern Suffolk BOCES teacher William Sperl charged with raping student, prosecutors say
Wiliiam Sperl is led from the Suffolk Police Third Precinct in Bay Shore to his arraignment on Wednesday. Credit: James Carbone
An Eastern Suffolk BOCES teacher had sex with a 16-year-old female student on multiple occasions in 2020 at the Riverhead campus and elsewhere, according to court documents filed Wednesday, as he was arraigned on four counts of third-degree rape and other charges.
William Sperl, 60, of Deer Park, pleaded not guilty in a Central Islip courtroom to the rape charges and seven counts of a criminal sex act in the third degree.
Sperl, the student's audio production teacher, "wanted the victim to believe they were dating," prosecutors said. Court records show the alleged incidents also occurred at Sperl’s home and at Tiana Beach in Hampton Bays between June and October 2020.
Sperl was ordered held on $200,000 bail or $300,000 bond and left the courtroom in handcuffs. He was ordered to stay away from the alleged victim and to have no contact with her.
Prosecutors said he posed “a serious flight risk.”
Sperl's attorney, John LoTurco, contested that. He said Sperl is "not a flight risk whatsoever," and has been married for more than 30 years. He is the father of four grown children and a grandfather, LoTurco added.
"Right now, we're going to thoroughly investigate these allegations, receive all discovery and have a course of action accordingly based on the evidence against my client," LoTurco said outside court. "He has the cloak of the presumption of innocence over him.”
Sperl is also listed as a deacon at Saints Cyril and Methodius Roman Catholic Church in Deer Park.
"Pending the results of an investigation and any subsequent canonical process, Deacon Sperl is not permitted to exercise any ministry or present himself as a deacon," Diocese of Rockville Centre spokesman Sean P. Dolan said in a statement.
His wife sat in court during his arraignment and left without speaking with reporters.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison on Wednesday told reporters that the student came to police with a parent on April 3 to report the alleged relationship with Sperl. Harrison urged any other potential victims to come forward.
Sperl was arrested just after noon Tuesday at Eastern Suffolk BOCES in Bellport following an investigation by Suffolk County Special Victims Section detectives.
Eastern Suffolk BOCES superintendent David Wicks said in a statement Wednesday that the district has placed Sperl on home assignment as the investigation develops. No students were on campus in Bellport at the time of the arrest, he added. Sperl was attending "an on-campus professional development activity," according to the statement.
Classes are set to resume next week and counselors with the Eastern Suffolk BOCES’ Crisis Team will be available "to support students, faculty, staff and community with any concerns about this matter," Wicks said.
"The safety of our students, faculty, staff and community is Eastern Suffolk BOCES' foremost priority," Wicks said.
With Robert Brodsky and James Carbone
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
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