Retired Summit, NJ teacher faces more sexual assault charges

SUMMIT — A retired drama teacher and theater director was indicted by a grand jury on charges he sexually assaulted six male students between 2003 and 2017.

Ronald E. Wells, 70, of Summit, was initially charged in June with molesting a student at the Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School while he modeled costumes, according to Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel.

During the investigation, several former students came forward reporting incidents that went back as far as 2003, according to Daniel.

Wells is now charged with one count of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, two counts of second-degree sexual assault, four counts of third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact and six counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

All of the students were between the ages of 12 and 14 at the time of their assaults.

Wells retired at the end of the 2017-18 school year, according to the school district.

Daniel said Wells is currently on pre-trial release pending his post-indictment arraignment in Union County Superior Court on April 18.

Anyone with information about these or similar cases should call Summit police at 908-277-9380.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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