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UPDATED | Police: Rockville Gym Teacher Found Sleeping in Locker Room Charged with Trespassing, Resisting Arrest

Police allege the man was injured during a scuffle with officers and a police dog after they woke him up

(Updated April 5, 2013) Charges have been droped against a physical educaiton teacher found sleeping inside a Redland Middle School lockeroom in February.

Charges of burglary and tresspassing have been dismissed, The Gazette reports.

(ORIGINAL) A physical education teacher found sleeping inside a Redland Middle School locker room early Friday has been charged with trespassing and resisting arrest, according to records filed in Montgomery County District Court.

Police allege that Benjamin J. Morey, 35, of the unit block of Hyacitnth Court in Gaithersburg, was injured during a scuffle with officers and a police dog after they woke him up. He was treated at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital for a cut on his thigh and puncture wounds on his leg, according to the records.

Morey is listed on the school’s website as a P.E. and health teacher. The school is located at 6505 Muncaster Mill Road in Rockville.

Morey has been charged with fourth-degree burglary, trespassing on school grounds and resisting arrest.

According to court records, police were dispatched to the school at around 2:30 a.m., after alarms were triggered. A school security guard reportedly told police that she could hear someone snoring in the boy’s locker room.

Police claim that they found Morey sleeping on top of folding mats in an equipment closet and allege he was uncooperative when officers tried to arrest him, prompting officers to release the K9 and physically restrain him.

The Gazette reported the story on Saturday.  

Montgomery County Public Schools spokesman Dana Tofig told the newspaper that Morey was placed on administrative leave while the investigation continues.

A court date was scheduled for April 4.

As of Tuesday, court records did not list an attorney for Morey.

Jennifer Lynne February 20, 2013 at 02:41 pm
I would like to know what Morey (P.E. Teacher) did that warrants the kind of police brutality that obviously took place. What was his crime really??...SLEEPING!!! While trespassing is illegal, there was NO theft, NO assault...NO serious crime what-so-ever. Who knows what this poor man's story was, but it looks like he just needed a warm place to sleep. If I woke up to police yelling and a K9 sinking it's fangs into my flesh, I'd be thinking exactly what this man was probably thinking too..."what the hell did I do?"...and I would likely be resisting arrest as well. Well thanks to this "BREAKING STORY", this poor man's career is probably over.
Tom Rossing February 20, 2013 at 04:50 pm
J.L.! You can't be serious? This man may be employeed by the MCPS, and may consider this is office, but if you are found in any establishment during an unauthorized period when security systems are active, you are considered a trespasser. The system does not know who the intruder is, nor do the police. They do not have the time to determine what your motive is if your are not cooperative. In this current day of school criminal activity this IDIOT should consider himself lucky with only a few bites.
Nealh303 February 20, 2013 at 06:12 pm
Whatever happened to compassion ...I'm sorry, but I'm with Lynne on this one ....is this really the type of community we want to live in? This sounds more like a police-state response ...the man was a faithful employee who was at work (out of the ordinary) snoring, ...I'm guessing he had a bad day, trouble at home, or something out of the ordinary happened (it's not like this school is a regular target for major criminal activity, so it shouldn't warrant an aggressively strong response) ...is it too much to ask for an officer (or two) to walk into the locker room nudge this guy’s shoulder and ask why are you here? And see if he was ok? ..and....then it would be an incident between the teacher and the Principal ...rather than treat him like an armed assailant and release the dogs (I'm surprised they didn't use tear gas in the locker room or call out the SWAT team ...now it's a criminal record and (most likely) a loss of his job ...Really? Talk about having a really bad day.....Yes, he was wrong, but I feel for the guy
Patching47 February 20, 2013 at 08:43 pm
For all anyone knows, this man could have felt faint, been ill, or a diabetic whose sugar went low causing him to feel dizzy and sleepy. It does not make sense to enforce violence on him. How about just waking him and without any cruelty, just asking him first if he is alright, and if not, calling an ambulance. He would have given some logical explanation for his being there..
Of course, anyone being woken suddenly from a deep sleep with a dog in his/her face would react to defend oneself! Compassion and understanding would make more sense by allowing this sleeping man to ID himself and explain and instead, lettihg the school principal handle it appropriately when this man returned to work.
Marian Hull February 21, 2013 at 05:04 am
Surely it is both reasonable, and compasionate to approach this in a much more gentle manner, as described by P47 & Nh303. The citations seem excessive.

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Brigitta Mullican June 2, 2013 at 11:58 pm
Twinbrook Swimming Pool (TSP) can hold three public open house days to introduce the pool toRead More perspective members. This year the dates are June 8, July 13 and August 10. The cost is $5 per person. The TSP has a big insurance policy to cover swimmers. Not sure free is appropriate. As a private membership pool, there are regulations that must be followed.
damian starr June 7, 2013 at 11:46 pm
Does either county or city pool offer free trial periods? I don't think so.
Brigitta Mullican June 7, 2013 at 11:51 pm
If you swim on the 3 open public swim days at the Twinbrook Swimming Pool, you can consider it aRead More trial. Liability insurance does cost money. Entrance of $5 is a real bargain. Members pay to maintain the pool.
Deborah Durham May 14, 2013 at 01:11 pm
I am so sorry this happened to your girls! There is no excuse for the theater personnel notRead More helping. I hope you get an apology from management. Perhaps the city police should have an officer in the area after the last movie.
Joe Shono May 14, 2013 at 08:09 pm
Yaaaay! Lets put it on the police again. Good thinking the Deb. How about Kate gets her daughter aRead More chaperone. Ask 2 people and then a movie theatre employee and then walk home? That story sounds really fishy. I don't believe the world is in as bad a shape as Kate purports.
Theresa Defino May 14, 2013 at 08:55 pm
I think more facts are necessary here. When you didn't hear from them you didn't go to theater toRead More find them? It is hard to know where blame lies here, not knowing how old these girls are. It sounds like your daughter and god daughter don't have their own phones? No matter my children's age, I make it a point to know the running times of the movies they're at, especially if I am the one who is going to be picking them up. We warn children--especially girls and young women--not to go to strangers for help. We know that of the three girls, the man kidnapped one who was his daughter's friend after giving her a lift.