Upper Prov Man Sentenced for Sexual Contact with PVHS Student

An Upper Providence Man was sentenced to jail after admitting to having sexual contact with a 15-year-old girl when he was 19, including in a wooded area during a Perkiomen Valley High School  (PVHS) football game, according to the Pottstown Mercury.

Matthew James Labor, 22, of Bridge Street, pleaded guilty to felony charges of statutory sexual assault and corruption of minor and was sentenced to 11 1/2 to 23 month in county jail.

The charges stem from incidents in Perkiomen and Upper Providence townships in September and November 2010, including one during a Perkiomen Valley High School football game, when Labor and the teenager “went to a nearby wooded area and had sex,” according to police.

The victim’s parents contacted the Pennsylvania State Police in November 2010 when they found out about the relationship and tried to stop it, after Labor reportedly posed as the girl’s father to report her absence from PVHS.

Labor pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual contact with a girl who was under 16 when he was four or more years older than her, and they were not married.

In addition to the jail time, Labor must complete three years’ probation, and members of the probation office’s Sex Offender Supervision unit will monitor him.

Labor told the judge that he is a born-again Christian, and a changed man.

“I have realized this is a wake-up call for me and this is not where I want to be for the rest of my life,” Labor wrote while in jail awaiting sentencing, adding he wants to marry and be a family man. “Your honor, I am sorry for all the crimes I committed but my life of sin is over. I am not a bad person, your honor. I just got into wrong things.”

Labor also pleaded guilty to fleeing from the scene and failing to render aid to his passengers after his vehicle struck the Trappe Shopping Center in Trappe on March 12.

The incident occurred when officers attempted to stop Labor for an alleged traffic violation and Labor fled the scene, crashing into the building before fleeing on foot, creating a manhunt in the area.

Labor received an identical, and concurrent, sentence for the guilty plea.