South Jersey Teacher Charged With Sexual Assault: Police

HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ — A Haddon Township man who is a high school teacher in another district has been charged with sexually assaulting one of his students when she was between 16 and 17 years old, authorities announced on Wednesday.

Brantley Cesanek, 30, has been charged with multiple counts of sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child and official misconduct, Camden County Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo and Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced.

Cesanek is a Latin teacher at Cherokee High School. Cesanek is accused of engaging in an ongoing sexual relationship with a student in 2016 and 2017. The investigation was initiated by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and the Evesham Township Police Department when the alleged crimes were first reported because Cherokee High School is in Evesham Township.

The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and Haddon Township Police Department joined the investigation when they discovered the alleged sexual assaults took place in Cesanek’s home on the 300 block of South Park Drive in Haddon Township.

Cesanek was arrested without incident in Haddon Township on Tuesday, authorities said. Cesanek is currently being detained at the Camden County Correctional Facility pending a pretrial detention hearing.

As soon as the Lenape Regional High School District was informed of the charges, Cesanek was barred from the school grounds and all school events, according to a pair of letters the district sent to parents on Wednesday. The charges don't involve any current students.

"We will continue to cooperate with the authorities throughout their investigation and are grateful for the work they are doing," the district said in the letter. "We commend the Prosecutor’s Offices of both Burlington County and Camden County, as well as the Evesham Police Department, for their swift attention to this matter. The well-being of our students, staff and our entire community are always our highest priorities and our partnership in this matter helps to maintain our safe environment."

The district offered no further comment because the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with additional information can contact Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Melvin Rogers at 609-265-5035 or Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Lateasha Jones at 856-225-8656.

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