Former Pittsburgh teacher to stand trial on felony charge involving student

A former Pittsburgh Public Schools teacher will stand trial on a charge that she urged one of her students to run away with her.

Geraldine Alcorn, 29, of Lawrenceville is accused of exchanging thousands of text messages with an 11-year-old girl. In the messages, the two expressed “a deep love for each other,” according to a criminal complaint.

Alcorn on Wednesday waived her right to a preliminary hearing on a felony charge of attempting to interfere with the custody of a child. Prosecutors dropped misdemeanor counts of child luring and corruption of minors.

“We had evidentiary reasons for withdrawing those charges,” said Mike Manko, spokesman for the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office. He declined to elaborate.

Alcorn is free on bond. Her attorney, Michael Worgul, had no comment after the court appearance.

Police say Alcorn and the girl sent each other more than 2,400 text messages during a two-week span in late January and early February.

The two talked of Alcorn adopting the girl and discussed running away together. Alcorn told the girl they would “be on the run” for a while, according to the complaint.

The girl told police she and Alcorn tried to keep their interactions a secret from the girl's mother.

Beechwood Elementary School officials suspended Alcorn on Feb. 13 when they learned of her interactions with the student. Alcorn resigned March 2, a Pittsburgh Public Schools spokeswoman said.

Alcorn went to the school March 13 to gather her belongings. The girl later found a letter and gifts from Alcorn in her locker and desk, according to the complaint.

In the letter, Alcorn told the girl to call her. Alcorn's telephone number was encrypted on a math worksheet, according to the complaint.

Tony Raap is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7827 or traap@tribweb.com.