Bucks County volunteer football coach relieved of duties after arrest in underage trafficking investigation

A 55-year-old volunteer football coach for the Pennridge School District in northern Bucks County was relieved of his duties after he was arrested in an underage sex trafficking investigation, the district said Monday.

Michael J. Feifel, who is a high school teacher at Lehighton Area High School in Carbon County, was arrested June 29 in a suburb of Allentown by Lehigh County detectives and charged with unlawful contact with a minor related to prostitution and criminal use of communication facilities, both third-degree felonies, according to court records.

Feifel could not be reached for comment Monday night.

In a statement Monday, the Pennridge School District said it recently learned that Feifel, who lives in Northampton County, was “arrested as a result of human sex trafficking joint investigation of Berks, Northampton, and Lehigh counties.”

The district added: “Since the district was made aware of Mr. Feifel’s arrest and the investigation, he was immediately relieved of all volunteer coaching responsibilities and any contact with children in the Pennridge School District.”

WFMZ-TV News reported last week that investigators posted advertisements on adult websites and had an undercover officer posing as a minor, and Feifel allegedly responded and agreed to pay the undercover officer for sex. Feifel allegedly showed up at the agreed-upon meeting place and was arrested.

The Lehighton Area School District said in a statement that the district and Feifel are cooperating with the investigation.

“Mr. Feifel is currently not involved in any coaching or teaching over the summer break, and the district will be assessing his employment status prior to the commencement of the teacher work year in September,” the district said.