Former Perry Hall Gym Teacher Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse of Students

A former Perry Hall High School gym teacher pleaded guilty Thursday to sexually abusing minors after police said he groomed and fondled four female students in school.

Sean Allen Brooks, 40, of Bel Air, pleaded guilty in Baltimore County Circuit Court in a partially binding sentencing agreement that will have him serving at least four years in prison.

The victims said Brooks took them to private areas of the school, hugged and kissed them, rubbed their thighs, and had inappropriate discussions with them, including talking about his sex life.

Police charged Brooks in June 2025 with 15 counts of sexual abuse of a minor, 15 counts of assault, and one count of fourth-degree sexual offense.

He agreed to plead guilty to one count of sexual abuse of a minor, two counts of fourth-degree sexual offense, and three counts of second-degree assault. 

As part of the plea agreement, additional charges involving an alleged fifth victim in Harford County and a case with the United States Attorney’s Office will not be pursued.

Assistant State’s Attorney John Magee said the agreement balances the state’s need to hold Brooks responsible and punish him “while also preventing the victims from having to go through the trauma of testifying at a trial.”

Brooks was brought from jail before Judge Dennis Robinson and wore an orange jail uniform, handcuffs, and leg irons. He answered the judge’s questions softly, saying only, “Yes, Your Honor” and “No, Your Honor.”

Investigators said Brooks began grooming students in his health and gym classes through assignments that asked them to write about their personal problems.

He later approached some students individually about what they had written and began ongoing inappropriate contact with them.

The charges stem from incidents beginning in 2023. The victims were between 15 and 17 years old at the time.

Assistant State’s Attorney Michael DeStefano said all four girls were students at Perry Hall and that all of the events happened on campus.

Police wrote in charging documents that one victim said Brooks “put his jacket around her because she was cold. He then bent over the front of her, reached into the pocket which was under her butt, and rubbed her for almost a minute before pulling his hand out with gum that he had in the pocket.”

In one case, Brooks took aside a student who was having “a particularly bad day,” DeStefano said. 

He led her to a private room in the school’s basement and locked the door before hugging her and whispering to her that she “was his favorite student, that she was perfect, and that she was beautiful” in what the girl described as a “flirty” tone, DeStefano said.

“She was in shock at the time,” DeStefano said. “She was confused and did not know how to proceed. She remained frozen, unable to move or react.”

Later, friends told the girl Brooks had asked them for her phone number. 

After police arrested Brooks in June, a forensic search of his cell phone turned up online conversations with an alleged fifth victim, according to court records.

When interviewed by police, the high school-aged girl said Brooks threatened her and forced her to send nude pictures and videos of herself. He also sent her nude pictures and videos of himself, police said.

Judge Robinson ordered a psychological evaluation and a presentencing investigation to be completed before Brooks’ sentencing on Sept. 21.