By Ernesto Londoño
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 4, 2007

A Montgomery County middle school teacher was arrested late Wednesday after a male student told police the instructor showed him pornography and sexually molested him when he was a seventh-grader, police said yesterday.

Police said Joseph R. Ballmann, 47, of Rockville, who teaches at Robert Frost Middle School in Rockville, inappropriately touched the student while giving him massages. The alleged incidents occurred in Ballmann's home.

The student, who was 12 years old when the alleged molestation began in spring 2004, recently reported the abuse to police, according to a charging document. Police said Ballmann gave the student at least five massages and that the inappropriate touching lasted through at least May 2005.

Ballmann, who has been employed by the county school system since 1989, has been placed on paid leave pending the outcome of the case.

The teacher's attorney, Stephen B. Mercer, said Ballmann "will be entering a not-guilty plea" but declined to discuss the case further.

According to police, Ballmann invited the student, who was in his seventh-grade English class, to his Rockville home, where he showed him a pornographic film. On another occasion, according to the charging document, Ballmann offered to give the student a massage.

The student told police "the massages progressed from him being fully clothed to [the student] not wearing any clothes at all," according to the charging document.

Assistant State's Attorney Mary Herdman said Ballmann admitted to the inappropriate touching during a phone sting.

She said police officers who searched Ballmann's home Wednesday night found handcuffs, chloroform, a replica handgun and explosives that investigators initially mistook for parts of a pipe bomb. She listed those items in arguing for a substantial bond, saying Ballmann's release would pose a "very disturbing community safety concern." But she did not say whether any of the items is related to the case.

Ballmann was charged with sexual abuse of a minor, third-degree sex abuse and sexual solicitation of a minor.

Montgomery County District Court Judge Stephen P. Johnson set a $150,000 bond at yesterday's hearing, during which two of Ballmann's siblings spoke admiringly of their brother.

"This is a guy who two years ago got nominated for teacher of the year," Susan Ballmann said. "He spends all of his free time looking after our elderly mother."

They said that he is adored by former students and that they have never known him to act unethically.

"He has indicated to me that fraternizing with students is unwise," brother Richard Ballmann said. "He does know of teachers who hang out with kids after school."

School system spokesman Brian Edwards said no other misconduct has been alleged against Ballmann. Ballmann worked as a substitute teacher in 1992, and taught English and social studies at Westland Middle School in Bethesda from August 1992 until August 1996, when he joined Frost.

"Mr. Ballmann's arrest was a shock to me, and I know it will be surprising and disturbing to the entire community," Frost Principal Joey N. Jones wrote in a letter to parents.

Police encouraged anyone with information about the case to contact Detective Karen Carvajal at 240-773-5417.