Former Williamstown, NJ Teacher Dies Days Before His Sexual Assault Trial

A South Jersey school teacher just days away from going on trial for allegedly sexually assaulting a student is dead.

Williamstown NJ Teacher Facing Trial for Sexual Assault

57-year-old Paul A. VanHouten, Jr., a former science teacher at Williamstown Middle School in Gloucester County, NJ, reportedly died on February 22.

VanHouten, Jr., himself a lifelong resident of Williamstown, was due to stand trial for sexual assault, child endangerment, as well as official misconduct beginning March 4, NJ.com reports. He plead not guilty to all charges.

Williamstown NJ Teacher Accused of Molesting Pre-Teen Student

The charges stem from a February 2020 incident in which the teacher was accused of molesting a 12-year-old girl. The female student told police VanHouten, Jr. groped her breast in a school storage closet where she had been retrieving class supplies. According to NJ.com, the student alleged that VanHouten following the assault, he threatened to fail her if she told anyone what happened.

VanHouten was reportedly immediately suspended from the school while Monroe Township School District and authorities looked into the incident.

Following a months-long investigation, the science teacher was arrested in July of 2020.

What Killed Former Williamstown NJ School Teacher Paul A. VanHouten, Jr.?

A cause of death for VanHouten, Jr. was not given in an obituary published to the website of Farnelli Funeral Home. It is also not known if he was still in custody in Gloucester County when he died.

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A memorial service for Paul A. VanHouten, Jr. is scheduled for Sunday, March 3rd at Cross Keys United Methodist Church, according to farnellifuneralhome.com.

*All parties mentioned in this story are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law.