Police Seek Charges Against School Employee Suspected Of Molesting Autistic Teen
BOSTON (CBS) – Boston police say they're seeking criminal charges against a para-professional who allegedly sexually assaulted a 14-year-old autistic student.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Karen Twomey reports
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The boy's mother is desperate and seeking answers and action. "It's sickening, it's sickening," she told WBZ today. "He can't even come and tell me, Mom this happened, this happened, he's non-verbal. It's destroying me at the moment."
WBZ-TV's Karen Anderson reports
Police are seeking to file a "lewd and lascivious" misdemeanor charge against the staff member, and are taking the case to a clerk magistrate at Dorchester District Court to determine whether the charge can go forward. That's when his name will be released.
The boy's mother says, "I want to be able to face this person, this no name person, that I'm being told about because I have no names, no information whatsoever."
She says, "Whatever the case was, there was definitely something very inappropriate going on. I have this deep down feeling inside that this isn't the first time, this is just the first time this man has been caught."
She says it's excruciating not knowing what happened. "I'm waiting for the DA, I'm waiting for charges to be filed, I'm waiting for my son to get his justice in the court system. I'm hoping the system does what it should do."
She says she is taking care of her son at home, and he is confused. "What exactly did happen, did they foil something this day because God sent an angel in to catch this. How long has this been going on. Is it the first time, which I don't believe it is."
"As a result of a preliminary investigation and consultation with prosecutors, detectives are immediately seeking complaints against the teacher's assistant for a charge of Lewd and Lascivious Behavior," police said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
Investigators said more charges could be sought.
The assistant, who has not been named, is a para-professional who specializes in special needs students. He started at Harbor School this year.
Boston School Superintendent Carol Johnson has put him on paid administrative leave until the investigation is finished.
The Boston Public Schools says the staff member has worked in the school system for the last seven years. They say he has worked at four schools, all in Dorchester. They are Lee Elementary, Lee Academy, King K-8 School and the Harbor School.
The Superintendent is now sending resource teams, made up of counselors, to all four schools to have people in the building ready to respond to students and their parents. They will be there through the winter break. They want to have people prepared when the man's name is made public.
WBZ-TV's Karen Anderson contributed to this report.
