SALISBURY, Md. - A former James M. Bennett High School teacher and her husband have been found guilty in a child sexual abuse case after taking separate plea deals with state prosecutors.
As WBOC previously reported, Brock Schuchart was initially charged on April 30 with numerous offenses involving a child under 14. His case was forwarded to Circuit Court in May, where he faced more than 100 charges. Court records described alleged abuse spanning April 2021 through April 2026.
Schuchart’s wife Ann, a former James M Bennett High School teacher, was charged in May with 52 counts, including sexual abuse of a minor, neglect, and failure to report child abuse. According to charging documents, the child had alerted Ann to the alleged abuse multiple times, but she did not report it.
Ann, who was named James M. Bennett’s teacher of the year in 2021, was placed on administrative leave, school officials told families in May. The alleged abuse did not take place at the school and did not involve school operations or students, according to officials.
According to court documents obtained by WBOC, Brock Schuchart was found guilty in Wicomico County Circuit Court on Sept. 4 of sexual abuse of a minor, second-degree rape, and production of child pornography after pleading guilty to the three charges.
Ann Schuchart was found guilty of one count of sexual abuse of a minor on Friday, Oct. 23 after entering an Alford plea, meaning she acknowledged prosecutors had enough evidence for a conviction but did not admit guilt.
According to Brock’s signed plea agreement, prosecutors will seek a life sentence for second-degree rape, which carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years under the sentencing enhancement outlined in the agreement. Prosecutors will also seek 15 years for sexual abuse of a minor and 10 years for production of child pornography, both to run concurrently with the rape sentence.
The agreement also mentions another unnamed victim.
“If Defendant elects to plead guilty pursuant to the instant plea offer, the State will not seek prosecution against Defendant for charges involving a separate minor victim that the State has identified, the identity of whom has been provided to the defense,” the plea agreement reads.
Ann’s plea agreement calls for prosecutors to seek 25 years, with all but 10 years suspended. A handwritten note on the agreement specifies a binding cap of 10 years of active incarceration, and her defense may argue for a lesser sentence.
Both agreements include lifetime supervision and registration as Tier III sex offenders.
Brock Schuchart’s sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 20 while Ann’s is slated for Dec. 18.
