Tabernacle Parish
By: Richard L. Smith
Burlington authorities report that a 42-year-old Lumberton man who works as a teacher’s aide at Seneca High School in Tabernacle has been charged with using social media to have explicit conversations with a student.
District Attorney LaChia L. Bradshaw said that during the exchange, Mr. Michael Van Kline convinced the student to send him nude photos and suggested that the two meet to have sex.
The investigation began after authorities received tips that Van Kline may have communicated electronically with a student inappropriately.
Prosecutor Bradshaw said further information was being withheld to protect the victim’s identity.
Officials with the Lenape Regional High School District, which includes Seneca, said Van Kline would not be allowed to enter school grounds or participate in school events in the future.
He was taken into custody yesterday and charged with endangering the welfare of a child (third degree).
He was booked into the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly and released today after an initial appearance in Superior Court.
The case is now being prepared for presentation to a grand jury for possible indictment.
Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of this defendant is asked to contact investigators at [email protected].
Van Kline is being prosecuted by the BCPO’s Special Victims Unit.
