Robert P. Willison

Silence and mystery continue to surround the sexual assault accusations against a Slippery Rock Middle School math teacher.

Robert P. Willison, 51, appeared at District Judge William O'Donnell's courtroom in Slippery Rock on Wednesday for a preliminary hearing but made no statements during the proceeding. His case will move forward.

After the hearing, his lawyer, Eric David Levin, repeatedly declined to comment on the case while Willison stood by silent.

Following accusations that Willison inappropriately touched the buttocks of four schoolgirls, he was suspended from his position at the school as an eighth-grade math teacher. According to police, Willison's suspension for these charges is his third suspension related to sexual abuse or harassment complaints since 2012. A police investigation was triggered after a complaint in September was filed through ChildLine, the state's avenue for people to report suspected child abuse.

Read more about this case in Thursday's Butler Eagle.