On Thursday, April 13, District Attorney Houck announced sexual assault charges against 26-year-old Hannah Marth for her involvement with a 17-year-old male student.
Marth, of Walnutport, is facing charges of Institutional Sexual Assault, and Sexual Assault by a Sports Official, both felonies of the third degree.
In May 2021, Marth was a javelin coach for the Northampton Area High School Track and Field team. The 17-year-old victim was a student and active participant in the track and field program.
An investigation by Pennsylvania State Police determined the defendant and victim were involved in a sexual relationship. On May 22, 2021 at approximately 2 a.m., Marth texted the victim and invited him to her residence in Lehigh Township, Northampton County, where Marth initiated sexual contact with the victim.
In an interview with police, Marth confessed to having romantic involvement with the victim in May 2021. When police interviewed the victim, the victim related that he and Marth were in a relationship that lasted until October 2022.
“A trusted relationship between a student athlete, an athlete’s parent, and a coach can be a vulnerable one. An abuse of that relationship shows a coach’s blatant disregard for the well-being of those she or he coached, and above all – the law. This defendant defied that trust when she committed this alleged crime against the victim,” District Attorney Houck said.
