On Saturday, April 25, 2020 the Medford Police Department received an anonymous report by the organization “SafeOregon.” The anonymous report indicated that Noah Berman, a Physical Education teacher at South Medford High School, was involved in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a juvenile female student who attends South Medford High. This tip was sent to both law enforcement and the School District. On April 27th, the school district placed Berman on administrative leave.
A Medford Police Detective was assigned the investigation and determined the relationship between Berman and the underage student had been ongoing since November of 2019, which ultimately became sexual in nature.
Detectives also learned that much of the communication between Berman and the student occurred through the social media app “Snapchat.”
The “Tampering with a Witness” charge stems from the detectives learning the suspect told the victim not to disclose the relationship to investigators, as law enforcement began looking into the case.
On Thursday, May 14, 2020, Medford Police Detectives served a search warrant at Berman’s residence on Kaufmann Way in Medford. Detectives seized possible evidence and Berman was arrested without incident. He was lodged at the Jackson County Jail charged with 2 counts of Sexual Abuse 2, 3 county of Sexual Abuse 3, Tampering with a Witness and Luring a Minor.
