Police: Northport Community Theater's technical director has committed a lustful act

A community theater director, who is also a math teacher in a high school, was arrested after committing an obscene act in the presence of a 15-year-old girl, police said Saturday.

Robert J. Miller, 35, of Catherine Street, Northport, was sued on Saturday in Northport District Court for charges of endangering a child's well-being and public lust on the first day. degree, according to a press release from the Northport Police Department.

Miller, technical director of Northport-East Northport Community Theater, was working on a production Friday night at the William J. Brosnan Administration Building Theater in Northport when he asked the girl to accompany him. to his car, which he said had mechanical problems. said the police.

He asked the girl to run the engine and remove a shoe and sock so that she could "feel the vibration of the accelerator pedal," says the press release. The girl then noticed that Miller was masturbating in front of the driver's door, the police said. Miller told the girl to look forward with the dashboard indicators. Shortly after, the girl looked at Miller and saw that he was still masturbating, police said. She then left the car and returned to the building.

Miller is a teacher at Smithtown West High School.

The superintendent of the Smithtown Central School District, James Grossane, said in a statement released Saturday afternoon on the district's website that Miller had been on administrative leave.

Tips will be available for students, said Grossane.

"We will continue to attend the police investigation, if necessary," he said.

Grossane said that "in the 14 years of activity of this teacher in the district, no incident has been reported."

He said the girl was not a district student.

The theater's owner, Bette Silver, declined to comment on Saturday afternoon.

Police think that there could be other victims. Any potential victims in the Northport area should call Det. Peter Hayes or Det. Peter Howard of the Northport Police at 631-261-7500. Any potential victims in the Smithtown area must call the detective brigade of the fourth district of the Suffolk County Police Department at 631-854-8452.