BishopAccountability.org
	Teacher Dies Amid Sexual Abuse Allegations By Luke Broadwater Broadwater@patuxent.com Columbia Flier [MD] September 15, 2005 A man who conducted sports camps and previously taught at St. Louis Catholic School in Clarksville and several other Catholic schools in the Baltimore region died last month amid allegations that he had sexually abused a female student, according to officials of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The man also conducted summer sports camps at the private Norbel School in Elkridge, officials said. Steve Brotzman, 37, died Aug. 31. The cause of his death is pending further study, according to the state medical examiner. The archdiocese revealed the accusations against Brotzman in a Sept. 6 press release. Brotzman also taught at two Catholic schools in Baltimore County and one in Baltimore. Days before Brotzman's death, a female student at one of the schools at which Brotzman had taught accused him of sending her inappropriate e-mails, archdiocese officials said. A day after his death, a second girl accused Brotzman of sexual abuse, Sean Caine, the spokesman for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, said. The press release did not detail the nature of the alleged e-mailed messages or the sexual abuse. The release also did not say where Brotzman lived. Girls, schools aren't named The incidents allegedly involved girls in their middle school and early high school years, archdiocesan officials said, adding that they would not identify the girls or the school or schools they attend or attended. Church officials immediately reported the accusations to police and social services in Howard and Baltimore counties, said Caine. Baltimore County police had no investigation or charges pending against Brotzman at the time of his death, said police spokesman Bill Toohey. Howard County police spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn said she could not say whether the county was investigating Brotzman because no charges had been filed against him. Archdiocesan officials also notified officials of the schools at which Brotzman taught, Caine added. "Equally important, we wanted to have people on hand at the schools immediately following Mr. Brotzman's death," he said. On Sept. 1 and Sept. 6, the archdiocese sent a "response team" to St. Louis School to help with counseling there, Caine said. "It's there to handle larger numbers and on-site counseling that might be needed," he said. "We also answered questions from parents about how they are supposed to ask their children about the issue." Teacher since 1991 Brotzman began teaching in archdiocesan schools in 1991. He taught at St. Clement in Lansdowne, in Baltimore County, from 1991 to 1992; Our Lady Queen of Peace in Baltimore from 1993 to 1999; St. Louis School from 1999 to 2004; and Immaculate Heart of Mary, in Baltimore County, from 2004 to 2005, according to the archdiocese. Brotzman also conducted a summer sports camp for youths at schools in Baltimore and Howard counties for several years. He first held the camp at Our Lady Queen of Peace, then, from 1999 to 2003, at St. Louis School. The past two years he conducted the camps at the private, non-Catholic Norbel School in Elkridge, according to the archdiocese. Officials at the Norbel School did not hold a meeting or send home information about Brotzman because he was not an employee of the school, principal Eric Isselhardt said. Brotzman simply leased space at the school, Isselhardt said. St. Louis principal Terry Weiss could not be reached for comment. Reports of child abuse should be directed to the Archdiocesan Office of Child and Youth Protection Hotline at 1-866-417-7469, the archdiocese said. E-mail Luke Broadwater at Luke Broadwater@patuxent.com
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