Md. Man Accused Of Directing Nurse To Sexually Abuse His 6-Weeks-Old Foster Son
BALTIMORE (AP) -- A Maryland man has been charged in a case involving a Southern California pediatric nurse accused of sexually abusing his 6-week-old foster child, authorities said Thursday.
A federal grand jury indicted Stephen Schaffner, 34, of Greensboro in Caroline County, on 10 charges of sexually exploiting a child and conspiracy Wednesday.
No attorney had been listed for Schaffner by Thursday.
The charges stem from a case involving Michael William Lutts, 50, a San Diego County pediatric nurse given custody of a prematurely born foster baby Aug. 4. An FBI agent said in charging documents that Lutts began molesting the baby boy the same day, and recorded images and video on a cellphone seized during a search of his home.
Time stamps on the images indicate that the boy was molested for at least 10 days, according to the FBI agent. The infant is now in protective custody.
Schaffner's indictment accuses him of directing Lutts to abuse the infant and send the photos and videos to Schaffner.
Prosecutors say that Schaffer was a licensed clinical professional counselor in Maryland until his license was suspended in June for reasons that weren't clear Thursday. Schaffner had also been a licensed associate counselor in Arizona until his license expired there in 2011.
Authorities said that they were working to identify other possible victims and that Lutts' job as a pediatric nurse gave him access to children.
Authorities also were looking into the process by which Lutts was given care of the foster baby.
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