After serving nearly a year of his four-year sentence for sexually abusing a student, former River Hill High School science teacher Alan Meade Beier was released from prison today.

In addition to successfully lobbying for a reduced sentence, Beier struck a plea deal that resulted in no additional jail time in another sex abuse case that was set to go to trial today.

Prison officials were expected to discharge Beier this afternoon, according to Beier’s attorney.

“We believe that the outcome today will bring some resolution and finality to the families involved in both cases,” Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Murphy said. “Both prosecutions were lengthy, hard-fought, and the victims and their families obviously felt traumatized by what happened but also by the uncertainty of what could happen on appeal.”

Beier’s attorney, Richard Woods, also was satisfied with the outcome.

“I am pleased that my client is walking out of jail today,” Woods said. “I think he has enough good qualities and intelligence that he can still lead a productive life.”

In requesting the reduced sentence, Woods told Howard County Circuit Court Judge Diane Leasure that in his 30 years practicing law he has never met someone “less able to protect himself and defend himself” in prison than Beier. He added that Beier has been subject to “torment, physical agony and attack” in prison.

Woods said Beier had been transferred between four prison facilities in the past 10 months as a result of attacks and threats from inmates.

The victim in today’s case, as well as the family members of both victims declined to comment.

Howard County police arrested Beier, 54, of Columbia, in January 2007, after allegations of misconduct made by students.

Beier taught chemistry and physics at River Hill for 11 years. He also coached the Clarksville school’s It’s Academic team, helped organize its Mr. RHHS male pageant-style competition and was voted “teacher of the year” by the school’s class of 2001. The Board of Education fired him in June 2007.

In his first trial in 2008, Beier was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor and second-degree assault for taking nude photographs of a 16-year-old male student during an after-school meeting in his classroom in January 2007. In that case, Leasure sentenced Beier to four years in prison.

In the case that was set for trial this week, Beier faced charges of sexual abuse in connection with allegations made by a second male student. The alleged abuse occurred between Feb. 1 and April 21, 2006, according to court documents.

At the time of Beier’s indictment, officials released no details of the allegations because police and prosecutors took the case directly to the grand jury, whose deliberations are sealed, as opposed to filing charging documents, which are public.

In court today, Murphy described the allegations made by the second student, who was 17 at the time of the incidents. The allegations are similar to those in Beier’s first case.

During a January 2007 search of Beier’s home, police seized a computer that included photos of the victim, Murphy said.

Interviews with the victim revealed that he met with Beier after school to prepare for the “Mr. RHHS” competition, she said.

During a photo shoot, Beier took multiple photos of the student, including one in a tuxedo, one of his abdomen and one of his biceps, Murphy said. Beier also pulled the student’s shorts down and looked toward his genitalia and took photos of the boy with his hands and other objects covering his genitalia, Murphy said.

Police recovered photos from the shoot on Beier’s computer, she said, adding that some of the photos, including those in tuxedos, were saved in a file marked for the Mr. RHHS competition, while other photos, including those in which the student was covering his genitalia, were in a separate file labeled as “risky.”

Under the terms of the plea deal, Beier pleaded guilty to one count of sexual child abuse. Prosecutors requested a suspended sentence and three years of supervised probation, to be served concurrently with his prior sentence.
 
Beier also must register as a child sex offender, have no contact with his victim or the victim’s family and have no contact with River Hill High School.

In return, Beier agreed to drop the appeal he filed in his previous case, which was scheduled to be heard in the Court of Special Appeals in March. He also agreed to waive his right to appeal today’s case.

Leasure sentenced Beier to a suspended sentence of 10 years, and supervised probation for three years to be served concurrently with his earlier sentence.

After Leasure approved the plea deal, Beier’s attorneys requested that she modify the sentence Beier received from his prior conviction to time served. Murphy noted that both victims’ families did not oppose such a move.

Leasure agreed to the modification, meaning that Beier’s 314 days in prison — roughly 10 months — would suffice for the two convictions. In agreeing to reduce the sentence, Leasure said she placed “great weight” on the input from the victims’ families.

Beier, who wore a dark suit, said little during the court proceeding.

He answered a series of questions posed by his attorney, indicating that he understood the conditions of the plea deal. When asked by Leasure if he had any questions about the proceedings, Beier asked, “I’m going to be free today?”

A few minutes later, when asked if he understood the requirement that he register as a child sex offender, he responded, “If that’s what’s expected, then I’ll do it.”

Beier also had faced allegations of sexual misconduct from a third student, a 17-year-old girl who accused Beier of fondling her in his classroom on two occasions in 2006. Prosecutors placed that case on an inactive docket in early September 2008, thinking it was the “appropriate” thing to do at the time, Murphy said.

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