Orcas Island Middle School teacher charged in federal court with assault of a minor
Published 1:30 am Monday, March 9, 2026
Yotam Zohar of Orcas Island was arraigned March 4 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington on charges of simple assault on a minor under the age of 16 and disorderly conduct.
Zohar pleaded not guilty to both charges and was released on his personal recognizance. A trial date of May 4, 2026, has been set.
On Sept. 30, 2025, Zohar, an Orcas Island High Middle School teacher, was with students visiting the Olympic National Park. After an alleged incident with a student there, he was charged by the U.S. Attorney with assaulting a minor under the age of 16 (a class A misdemeanor) and disorderly conduct “by using language, an utterance, or gesture, or by engaging in a display or act that was obscene, physically threatening or menacing, or done in a manner that was likely to inflict injury or incite an immediate breach of the peace,” (a class B misdemeanor). Because the national park is within federal jurisdiction, the case is not being prosecuted in San Juan County.
Simple assault is a lower-level misdemeanor involving less severe injuries than an aggravated assault. Simple assault can also mean there was no use of a weapon. The victim’s age being less than 16 makes the punishment harsher than a typical simple assault charge.
“The conduct at issue is grabbing and shoving the victim,” said Emily Langlie, communications director of the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Western District of Washington, in an email to the Sounder.
The class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine. The class B misdemeanor is punishable by six months in prison and a $5,000 fine. Zohar is being represented by the Federal Public Defender’s Office.
Representatives from Orcas Island School District kept comments limited “out of respect for those involved.”
“The investigation is ongoing,” said Eric Webb, OISD superintendent. “Mr. Zohar remains on administrative leave.”
School records are public, and investigation records from the school district were requested under the Freedom of Information Act, which allows the request of records to ensure an informed citizenry. The request has not yet been fulfilled.
