Ex-school board head faces assault charges
Ex-school board head faces assault charges
By Michael Hasch
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, November 27, 2001
The former president of the Pittsburgh Board of Public Education was arrested Monday on charges of sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl.
Ronald Suber, 49, who lives in the Manchester neighborhood of the North Side, was charged with single counts of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and corruption of minors and two counts of indecent assault.
Suber, who lost his District 8 school board seat in November 1999, was arraigned before City Magistrate Louis Coles and released after posting 10 percent of $3,000 bond to await a Child's Court hearing scheduled for Dec. 6, court papers show.
Suber, who turned himself in to police yesterday, also was ordered to attend outpatient psychiatric evaluation before the hearing.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review does not identify people who have said they were sexually assaulted.
Pittsburgh police were called on Nov. 4 after the child told her mother she had been assaulted by Suber.
City detectives obtained a warrant for Suber's arrest after the girl was interviewed by specialists at the Pittsburgh Child Advocacy Center at the Children's Hospital in Oakland, an affidavit of probable cause shows.
The girl said she was assaulted at Suber's home on Juniata Street.
Suber, who works as operations manager for Healthy Start Inc., said he had no comment last night.
Suber, a Democrat, was elected to the city school board in 1985 to represent District 8, which includes part of the North Side, Beltzhoover and Hill District.
Suber, who has two adult sons, served four terms on the school board, including four years as president.
In May 1999, Suber appeared to have narrowly lost both the Democratic and Republican nominations to Mark Brentley Sr. of Perry Central.
Brentley defeated Suber on the Democratic ballot by 39 votes and by seven votes on the GOP ballot.
Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge James McLean nullified the results after Suber claimed election fraud. McLean ordered a new election.
When the new election was held, Brentley defeated Suber by 144 votes.
Michael Hasch can be reached at mhasch@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7820.