Citing Todd Sheerer's "blatant and knowing disregard" for the law, a Lancaster County judge Monday tacked $1 million onto his bail after reproaching the former Warwick High School teacher for contacting the student he is accused of sexually exploiting.

Judge Jeffery Wright increased Sheerer's bail to $1.25 million cash after Sheerer violated the conditions of his release by meeting with the alleged victim, a female Warwick student, last month.

The bail violation was the second for the former music teacher and band director, who is charged with multiple counts of corruption of minors for allegedly engaging in sex acts with the student from January 2006 to January 2008.

Prosecutors allege the relationship began when the teenager, now 18, was 15.

Seated with family members at the rear of the courtroom, the teen sobbed Monday as Sheerer, dressed in a dark-green prison jumpsuit, was led into the room in handcuffs.

Assistant District Attorney Karen Mansfield asked Wright to revoke Sheerer's bail and make him forfeit the $250,000 his family posted to gain his release.

According to prosecutors, Sheerer, 30, contacted his alleged victim May 19 in the woods behind her grandmother's house.

Defense attorney Merrill Spahn said Sheerer would not dispute the latest bail violation because "he doesn't desire putting people through the testimony."

In exchange for his client's decision not to challenge the prosecution, Spahn asked that the $250,000 bail payment not be forfeited.

Wright agreed, but said any future bail would be forfeited if Sheerer were to violate the terms of his release.

"It's unfortunate that people have stood by you and put up assets for you," he said.

Wright admonished Sheerer for ignoring the conditions of his release, saying, "Somehow, it's as if I wasn't heard when I set (bail) conditions last time. I wasn't obtuse."

He asked Sheerer if he understood what "no contact" means.

"Yes, sir," Sheerer responded.

Sheerer, formerly of Coronet Avenue, initially was released in January on $25,000 bail and ordered not to have any unsupervised contact with his alleged victim.

In March, police learned he had resumed contact with the teen using a newly purchased cell phone. Sheerer's bail was revoked, and he was sent to prison until his release on $250,000 cash bail.

Last month, the teen told police Sheerer again had been contacting her.

On May 19, she told her grandmother she was going for a walk in the woods behind her home, according to police.

The grandmother, who was caring for the teen while her parents were out of town, became concerned when her granddaughter seemed to be gone for an unusually long time.

She went looking for her in the woods and found the teen with Sheerer, who ran away when he saw the grandmother approaching, police said.

Later that day, the teen told Lititz police she had been contacted several times by Sheerer.

Mansfield obtained a bench warrant for Sheerer's arrest, and he surrendered to sheriff's deputies last week at Spahn's office in Lancaster city.

The alleged relationship between Sheerer and the teen came to the attention of authorities when a Manheim Township police officer, responding to an anonymous call, found the couple in a parking lot Jan. 18, according to court documents.

Sheerer and the teen were in the back seat of a car parked behind a family restaurant on Oregon Pike.

Sheerer's jeans were unzipped, and he told the officer his companion was 19 years old, according to court documents. Police later determined she was 17.

The teen later told police she and Sheerer had multiple sexual encounters at Warwick High School and in vehicles parked in Lititz and Manheim boroughs and Warwick, Penn and Manheim townships.

Sheerer is facing charges in all those municipalities.

Warwick school board in April fired Sheerer and agreed to provide $75,000 in an insurance payment to the alleged victim's family for emotional counseling.

E-mail: bwallace@lnpnews.com