A substitute teacher in the Lehigh Valley was sentenced after pleading guilty to assaulting a teenager living with autism inside a store last year , according to the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office.

On May 24, 2024, troopers with the Pennsylvania State Police were called to a Marshall's store on the 3900 block of Hamilton Boulevard in Lower Macungie Township around 5:30 p.m., officials said.

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When the troopers got to the store, they saw a man driving through the parking lot and away from the store very fast, officials said.

The driver was stopped and identified as Jared Gerhard, troopers said.

Once troopers went into the store, they spoke with a 17-year-old girl living with autism who told th

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