Palisades High School is part of educational and athletic complex located on Church Hill Road in Nockamixon Township. The Palisades School District serves families from across much of rural upper Bucks County, including Bridgeton, Durham, Springfield, Nockamixon and Tinicum townships and Riegelsville borough. (FILE PHOTO)
UPDATE: On May 30, 2023, the charges of indecent assault of a person under the age of 13 and indecent assault without the consent of another were withdrawn by the prosecution as part of a plea agreement in which Jay Frank Donchez of Wind Gap pleaded no contest to four summary charges of harassment. Donchez was then sentenced to 360 days of probation. According to court records, as part of the agreement Bucks County Court of Common Pleas Judge Charissa J. Liller also ordered Donchez to pay court costs, to obtain a mental health evaluation within 30 days of sentencing and to abide by any and all of the evaluation’s recommendations. Donchez was also ordered by the judge to have no contact with the juvenile victims, their families and Palisades High School property. Donchez was represented in court by attorney Robert C. Keller of Havertown. In a statement released on the day of the hearing, Keller described Donchez as “70 years of age, with no prior criminal convictions and…severely disabled.” “He has widespread support in the community in which he lives, and all the mitigated circumstances impacted the reasonable resolution that was reached in court,” Keller said. “Mr. Donchez did not intend to offend anyone and is grateful that the case is concluded.”
Pennsylvania State Police in Bucks County have announced charges against a 69-year-old Wind Gap man who is accused of inappropriately touching and speaking to several girls at Palisades High School’s Homecoming football game Friday night.
In a news release Monday, troopers from the Dublin barracks said the alleged incidents occurred on school district property on Church Hill Road in Nockamixon Township, which is where the high school and football stadium are located.
They said officers from the barracks responded to the football game at approximately 8:30 p.m. “at the request of administrative staff following their receipt of a report of several juvenile females who had been approached, talked to and touched in various ways by an adult male, later identified as Jay Donchez.”
According to the news release, Donchez was subsequently arrested on charges of indecent assault, harassment and disorderly conduct.
The docket filed in the case in Bucks County District Court 07-3-03 lists Donchez’s full name as Jay Frank Donchez and indicates he is charged with one second-degree misdemeanor count of indecent assault without the consent of another and one first-degree misdemeanor count of indecent assault of a person less than 13 years of age. According to the docket, Donchez also received four summary citations for harassment-subjecting another to physical contact, one summary citation for harassment-course of conduct with no legitimate purpose and one summary citation for disorderly conduct.
Court records show that following a preliminary arraignment before District Judge Frank W. Peranteau Sr. early Saturday, Donchez was released on $25,000 unsecured bail.
A preliminary hearing for Donchez is scheduled to be held Monday, Oct. 17 at 9 a.m. before District Judge Gary Gambardella, according to the docket, which as of Monday afternoon did not list an attorney for Donchez.
Lehigh Valley Live reported Monday that Palisades School District superintendent Dr. Bridget O’Connell discussed Friday night’s incident in a letter to parents, in which she said counseling was being made available to students. The article quoted O’Connell’s letter, in which she praised administrators and first responders who were at the game.
The Palisades Pirates played the Pen Argyl Green Knights Friday in a home conference game which the Pirates won, 42-14.
Note: All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This story was compiled using information provided by Pennsylvania State Police and from Bucks County court records.