Police in Armstrong County charged a former standout high school and college basketball player with sexually assaulting a student at a skills school he operates.
South Buffalo Township police charged Mark Anthony Shehady, 24, of the 500 block of Dorseyville Road in O’Hara with nine felonies: three counts each of sexual assault by a sports official and unlawful sexual contact with a minor, two counts of child pornography and one count of corruption of minors.
Shehady was being detained in the Armstrong County Jail in lieu of a $100,000 cash bond. He faces a preliminary hearing before District Judge J. Gary DeComo on Nov. 8, according to court records.
Shehady Basketball Training, which rented gym space in several states, including in South Buffalo, was opened in 2020, according to police, who cited information posted on the training center’s website.
Police said they received a state ChildLine report Oct. 19 in which Shehady was accused of child abuse and neglect of a 16-year-old, according to a criminal complaint.
Shehady’s website says the school runs basketball camps and clinics and offers private and group sessions, along with conducting skills programs for high schools and athletic associations in 22 states.
Police said the teen he is accused of sexually assaulting was one of Shehady’s students.
During an Oct. 20 forensic interview with investigators, the teen said they and Shehady first expressed “feelings for each other” during a trip in late July to an out-of-state tournament, the complaint said.
Shehady had sexual contact with the teen on at least three occasions, police said. The assaults occurred in Shehady’s pickup parked along a road in South Buffalo, according to his arrest papers.
At Shehady’s request, the teen also sent him nude photos, and he sent the teen photos of himself wearing only underwear, the complaint said.
Nobody answered calls at Shehady’s basketball school Thursday. He did not have a lawyer listed in court documents.
After a successful high school and college basketball career, Shehady decided to open the skills school to “share his knowledge and passion for the game,” according to his website.
Shehady was part of the 2017 Hampton High School basketball team that made the WPIAL finals, advancing to a runner-up finish and a state tournament berth.
While attending Point Park University in 2020 on an athletic scholarship, Shehady was one three players chosen by the Pioneers basketball coach to represent Team USA at a basketball World Cup tournament in Lanzhou, China.
Editor’s note: This story has been changed to reflect that the person charged is not the owner of any of the gym facilities where his program operated.
