Matthew Schlegel took the stand Thursday and denied inappropriately touching students in his classroom at Severna Park Elementary School.

Schlegel, 45, is accused of inappropriately touching several of his female students. He faces charges of sex abuse of a minor, second-degree assault and third- and fourth-degree sex offenses.

During his testimony in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, Schlegel said that he never inappropriately touched the students who have made allegations against him.

He told Anne Arundel County Assistant State’s Attorney Sean Fox during cross-examination that it is inappropriate for a male teacher to do what his students say he did to them. The allegations include touching the students’ private areas, rubbing their thighs and chests, and putting them on his lap.

Fox also asked Schlegel questions about the five students who testified Schlegel inappropriately touched them. Multiple students have said that the touching occurred at his desk.

Schlegel said the students would come up to his desk to ask questions. He said only one of them would come up to his desk to work.

When Fox asked if he found one of the alleged victims to be a “pretty little girl,” Schlegel said that he would not describe his students that way and he felt “uncomfortable” answering that question.

Fox asked the same question about the remaining four students alleging abuse. Schlegel said his answer was the same for each of them.

The defense rested its case Thursday afternoon. The state will now have the option to present rebuttal evidence before closing arguments are made.

Before resting, the defense called Schlegel’s wife, Sarah Schlegel, to testify.

When she took the stand, Sarah Schlegel, an assistant principal at Chesapeake Science Point Elementary School in Hanover, recalled first learning of the allegations against her husband and the events that occurred in the months following, including Matthew Schlegel’s arrest in May 2024.

Sarah Schlegel said that she has stood by her husband and that he was beloved by students, coworkers and the parents at Severna Park Elementary.

“We are a family unit, and we really navigated this together,” she said.

The day her husband was arrested started “like any other morning,” Sarah Schlegel recalled, tearing up. But things took a turn when a SWAT vehicle pulled up to their home. She said her husband was placed under arrest and officers began to comb through their home.

When Schlegel was first removed from the classroom last March, the community reached out to offer support, Sarah Schlegel said. But as more information came out and rumors spread, she said her family received threats.

One night, Sarah Schlegel said, a “very loud” explosion was set off in their front yard. She said that when the police came, they noticed “peto” had been spray-painted across the lawn. Defense attorney Patrick Seidel indicated the spray painter might have meant “pedophile.”

Sarah Schlegel said she was told about one threat made against her husband by the parent of an alleged victim. She said she believes the parents of the alleged victim drove by the Schlegel house on multiple occasions.

“We felt like we were being followed,” she said.

Sarah Schlegel said she filed a peace order against the father, but it was not granted.

During cross-examination, Fox asked if she filed the peace order because she disliked the mother of the alleged victim for filing a civil suit against the Schlegel family. Sarah Schlegel said that was not the case and that she filed the peace order because she was “afraid.”

Fox pointed out that Sarah Schlegel could not identify the model or license plate number of the car she believed was driving by her house or the driver of the car.

Fox asked if Sarah Schlegel was paranoid.

When she replied that she was not paranoid and Fox continued to ask the question, Sarah Schlegel responded, “I’m not going to say I was paranoid.”

Fox also asked Sarah Schlegel about the inappropriate touching that Matthew Schlegel is accused of. Sarah Schlegel agreed that certain contact with students, such as touching a student’s thighs, is inappropriate.

She said a male teacher putting a third-grade student on their lap — which Matthew Schlegel has been accused of — is a “gray area.” When Fox questioned her response, she said it is unusual for a third grader to sit on a teacher’s lap.

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