Rasely

Since his arrest Monday for crimes against a 16-year-old boy, Don Rasely has resigned from several community and career positions.

Rasely, 56, of Greenhill Drive in Butler Township was arrested by township police on one charge of indecent assault, two charges of corruption of minors and one charge of furnishing alcohol to minors.

He is a private piano and voice teacher and is well known as a longtime supporter of the arts in Butler County.

Almost immediately upon being released from police custody on a $10,000 bond, Rasely resigned his position as liturgical music director for St. Paul Roman Catholic Church in Butler. He had served the church in that position since 1974.

Wednesday morning, the Butler Penn Theater Community Trust issued a news release announcing Rasely's resignation from the trust's board.

Rasely used his personal money to buy the theater and has been working for two years to get state and local money to renovate and reopen the theater as a community performance and meeting space.

Chuck Davey, the trust's solicitor and a board member, also announced the trust has canceled Friday's cocktail party that was to be held at the theater as a kickoff for the trust's capital campaign.

"There is a certain amount of regrouping that we have to go through and we will reschedule the kickoff this fall," Davey said. "I think we can still do this (renovation project)."

Rasely also is a part-time faculty member at Butler County Community College.

Susan Changnon, BC3's director of communications and marketing, said the college has policy regarding the conduct of its staff and faculty.

"We are going to conduct our own investigation and follow a due process internally," she said, adding the investigation would not include interviewing Rasely's students at BC3, "but wait to see how things progress."

Changnon said she could not give any more detail to this process, the conclusion of which is "open ended."

Rasely's tenure as a board member for the Butler Arts Council ended in June.

Butler Mayor Maggie Stock, who co-founded the Blazing Star Choral Society with Rasely, said Wednesday she is "shocked and saddened by these events, but Don is my friend and has been for a long time, and he has my support."

Rasely did not respond to messages left on his home answering machine Wednesday afternoon.

A preliminary hearing on the charges against Rasely will be at 2:30 p.m. Aug. 17 at District Judge Kevin O'Donnell's office.

The charges stem from a 16-year-old boy who told his mother on July 18 that he had a sexual relationship with Rasely.

The boy told police that a few weeks before his 16th birthday, Rasely gave him a body massage and fondled him. Then after his birthday, Rasely allegedly sexually assaulted him.

The incidents reportedly occurred after private music lessons at Rasely's house.