Eastern Suffolk BOCES teacher, accused of having sex with student in parks and on school bus, indicted on rape and other sex crime charges

The Eastern Suffolk BOCES teacher charged by police with rape and other sex crimes has been indicted by a Suffolk County grand jury, District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced today.

William Sperl, 60, of Deer Park, an audio production teacher for Eastern Suffolk BOCES at the Ward Technical Center in Riverhead, is accused of repeatedly engaging in sexual intercourse with a female student when she was 16 years old, taking her to public parks to engage in sexual acts and even having intercourse with the victim on several occasions in an empty school bus on school grounds, the district attorney said in a press release.

According to prosecutors, Sperl met the victim when she was 15 years old and a student in his audio production class in 2019. He began communicating with the student through an application used by the school for teachers to communicate with students about assignments and in 2020, when the victim was 16 years old, Sperl began contacting the victim on her cell phone. He began requesting the student send him “intimate images and videos,” the district attorney said in a press release. He began engaging in sexual acts with the student in June 2020, according to prosecutors.

The victim, who is now 19 years old, recently reported the abuse to police after realizing what Sperl did was wrong, and out of concern for other potential victims, Tierney said.

Sperl was arraigned on the indictment today before County Court Judge Karen Wilutis, for the following charges:

• Seven counts of Rape in the Third Degree, Class E felonies;
• Seven counts of Criminal Sexual Act in the Third Degree, Class E felonies;
• One count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class A misdemeanor; and
• Five counts of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree, Class B misdemeanors.

Judge Wilutis continued the bail that was previously set for Sperl in the amount of $150,000 cash, $300,000 bond, or $1.5 million partially secured bond.

Sperl has since posted bail, and the court imposed supervised release by probation and required that he surrender his passport, Tierney said.

Sperl is due back in court on Oct. 31.

“This defendant allegedly used his role as an educator to prey on a student for his own sexual desires,” said District Attorney Tierney. “The safety of children in our schools and community is a non-negotiable priority and this kind of abuse will not be tolerated.”