Ex-SRHS teacher admits to sexual conduct charges BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer WEST LONG BRANCH - - A former teacher and coach at Shore Regional High School in West Long Branch will be sentenced in March after pleading guilty last week to sexual conduct with a former student. William O'Leary, 35, of Manasquan, pleaded guilty Friday to one count of endangering the welfare of a child for engaging in sexual relations with a 15-year-old former student, according to a press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office. During his guilty plea, O'Leary acknowledged in court that he engaged in a sexual relationship with the student, according to the Prosecutor's Office. In addition to registering as a sex offender under Megan's Law, O'Leary must fulfill the following conditions as a result of the guilty plea: A term of probation; permanently forfeit his teaching certificate and or license; serve a special sentence of Community Supervision For Life and obtain a psychological evaluation at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center. The victim consented to the resolution of the charges, the press release said. An additional indictment of sexual charges against O'Leary, which involved a second victim, were dismissed as part of the conditions in the guilty plea, according to the release. That indictment, 06-11-02632, charged O'Leary with official misconduct, endangering the welfare of a minor and criminal sexual contact. O'Leary is scheduled to appear before Judge Del Bueno Cleary to be sentenced on March 9 and he is currently released on $85,000 bail. O'Leary had been employed as a math teacher and a coach at Shore Regional. Prior to that, he was a teacher at the K-4 Frank Antonides School in West Long Branch. O'Leary has not been employed as a teacher at Shore Regional, or any other school, since the charges were brought against him in September 2004. According to the Prosecutor's Office, O'Leary met the victim when she was a fourth-grade student at Antonides School. "Through his role as a teacher, O'Leary used this opportunity to develop a controlling and manipulative relationship with the victim, which eventually led to a sexual relationship," the press release states. In August 2004, the details of the sexual relationship were discovered by the victim's parents, who brought the matter to the attention of the West Long Branch Police Department, according to the release. After an investigation by borough police and the county's Sex Crimes/Child Abuse Unit, O'Leary was arrested. The investigation uncovered the fact that during the course of the relationship, there were approximately 16,955 phone calls made between O'Leary and the victim, according to the release. As a condition of the guilty pleas, the state agreed at the time of sentencing to dismiss the indictment. In another indictment, O'Leary is charged with second-degree official misconduct, second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact. This indictment involved a second victim who, through her attorney, agreed to the same resolution. Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis Valentin said in the release, "This defendant took advantage of his role as a teacher and mentor in order to control and manipulate this victim and eventually engage in sexual conduct with her," he said. "This plea ensures that the defendant will never again be able to teach in any school system."