A Tarrant County judge has denied a petition by the former Trinity Valley School piano teacher accused of indecent conduct with children to change his bond conditions, according to court records.
Trent Muse had been ordered not to have contact with anyone under the age of 17. On July 1, Muse and his attorney filed an application seeking to change the condition to no unsupervised contact with anyone under 17.
According to the petition, the condition “unreasonably impinges” on Muse’s constitutional rights.
“Simply leaving his home could bring him into contact with someone under 17 years of age,” the petition states. “Everything from going to church to the grocery store to anonymous meeting groups could be cause for unintended contact that would be a violation of this condition.”
Judge Andy Porter signed an order denying Muse’s petition Monday after considering the evidence in the application and the attorneys’ arguments, according to court documents.
The Star-Telegram reached out to Muse’s attorney, Monroe Solomon III, for a comment on the allegations against Muse and the judge’s decision.
“We respectfully decline to comment at this time as this is an ongoing matter,” Solomon said in an email Thursday. “We will address all aspects of this case at the proper time and in the proper manner.”
In May, Trinity Valley officials told parents in a letter that they had received reports of misconduct by a former piano teacher that had occurred during the 2022-23 school year.
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Muse was arrested June 24 and charged with five counts of indecency with a child by exposure. He bonded out of the Tarrant County Jail on July 3, according to court records.
In the formal complaint against Muse, filed June 26 in Tarrant County, he is accused of exposing himself while “knowing a child younger than 17 years of age was present.” One incident allegedly occurred on Feb. 28, 2023, while the other four counts are related to one or more incidents on April 26, 2023, according to the complaint.
The investigation into the allegations against Muse is ongoing, according to a spokesperson for the Fort Worth Police Department.
“Due to the sensitivity of this offense, and the fact that juveniles are involved, no other details are currently available to provide,” the spokesperson told the Star-Telegram in an email.
The Trinity Valley School Board of Trustees has hired a third party, T&M USA , to review what happened leading to Muse’s termination and the communication about his departure from the private school.
School officials believe the charges are “related to incidents that reportedly happened while he gave piano instruction to TVS students while employed at the school,” acting head of school Adam Wojtelwicz wrote in a letter to parents following Muse’s arrest. “This news is deeply upsetting.”
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