Posted For: Hauviette
A teacher at Lehigh Carbon Community College who lives in Easton has been charged with indecent exposure after allegedly teaching an online class while naked from the waist down.
According to a criminal complaint, a 17-year-old student from Lehighton Area High School reported the incident to police in Lehighton Borough. The student was participating in a college-level English course held over Zoom that included both high school and college students.
Court records state that the class began around 8:15 a.m. on Sept. 19. The instructor, identified as 62-year-old Timothy Shoemaker, logged on and apologized for being late, telling students he had slept through his alarm. He was reportedly wearing a white T-shirt.
Police allege that Shoemaker briefly left the camera view to check his work computer in another room. When he stood up, the student reported seeing that he was unclothed from the waist down. After he returned and sat down, the student told police she could see his private parts on camera.
The complaint states that Shoemaker told the student he had taken sleeping pills the night before and then continued discussing her class project.
Investigators later contacted a 16-year-old student from Panther Valley High School who corroborated the account. Both students told police the incident made them feel uncomfortable.
Authorities confirmed that although the Zoom session was not recorded, four participants were logged into the call and Shoemaker accessed his work computer at approximately 8:20 a.m. that morning.
When questioned by police, Shoemaker reportedly said he did not recall the events clearly. He stated that he believed he had been wearing underwear, though he sometimes sleeps unclothed from the waist down. Police said Shoemaker also told them he contacted a mental health service afterward and admitted he “did something wrong.”
Reached by phone, Shoemaker declined to comment, saying he was in the process of obtaining an attorney.
Shoemaker was charged by Lehighton Borough police with two counts of indecent exposure.
A spokesperson for Lehigh Carbon Community College said Shoemaker is a part-time instructor and is not currently teaching classes. The college declined further comment.