Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Aspen Education Group

Bromley Brook staff member charged with assaulting students

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Ursus:
Here we go; the perp finally comes out with his admission of guilt. It's incredible that he doesn't even get any jail time. Vermont seems to be almost as bad as Maine in these matters:

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WCAX.com
Teacher pleads guilty to child sex charges

Bennington, Vermont - April 9, 2010


Stephen Peters

A former teacher and coach in Bennington County admits he molested a former student.

40-year-old Stephen Peters, of Woodford, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor. Prosecutors say when he worked at the Bromley Brook School in Manchester, he had sexual contact with a 16-year-old girl there. It was consensual.

Under the plea deal, Peters will not go to jail. He will be placed on probation for five years and receive sex offender treatment.

Peters no longer works at the school.


© Copyright 2001 - 2011 WorldNow and WCAX.

Ursus:
Another article with a bit more detail:

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Rutland Herald
Former teacher pleads guilty in teen sex case

By PATRICK McARDLE STAFF WRITER - Published: April 9, 2010

MANCHESTER – A former educator at the Bromley Brook School pleaded guilty on Wednesday to having sexual contact with a 16-year-old student at the school on three occasions between Sept. 1 and Oct. 14.

Stephen F. Peters, 40, of Woodford, pleaded guilty in Bennington District Court to three misdemeanor charges of sexual exploitation of a minor. The state dismissed a felony charge of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child that had been brought in December.

Bennington County State's Attorney Christina Rainville said the state had dismissed the charge because her office's investigators believed that while the student was credible, the incident did not constitute a criminal act. The lewd and lascivious conduct charge involved a different student who was 12 when she spoke to police.

Under a plea agreement, Peters is expected to serve six to 12 months in prison on each count with the sentences to be served consecutively, but the prison time will be suspended. Instead, Peters is expected to serve five years on probation under sex offender conditions and undergo sex offender treatment.

However, under Vermont law, a defendant cannot be sentenced for crimes such as those to which Peters pleaded guilty until the Vermont Department of Corrections completes a pre-sentence investigation. Judge David Suntag ordered the investigation on Wednesday.

According to a police affidavit filed in the case, Peters had a consensual sexual relationship with a student at Bromley Brook School

Rainville said the student's family "strongly supported" the plea agreement. Neither the student nor her family were at the hearing, although they were invited, because they are not local and the student no longer attends Bromley Brook, Rainville said.

The charges to which Peters entered guilty pleas require that the person with whom the defendant has sexual conduct be a minor; the defendant be at least four years older than the minor; and the defendant be in a position of supervision over the minor; in this case, because Peters was responsible for organized recreational activities that involved the minor.

Peters could have been sentenced to up to a year in prison for each charge.

Police said they had investigated Peters after Bromley Brook School officials contacted the Vermont Department of Children and Families in October.

According to police, another student, who was the 16-year-old student's roommate, told police that Peters told her he "loved (the 16-year-old student) and wanted to marry her."

The 16-year-old also confirmed she had a sexual relationship with Peters, according to police.

Bromley Brook officials confirmed in December that Peters was no longer an employee of the school. In a statement that did not name Peters specifically, school officials said employees undergo background checks before they are hired but Peters' record was "clean."

According to the school's Web site, Bromley Brook is a residential boarding school for girls between the ages of 14 and 17 "who have difficulty finding success in a traditional school setting."

patrick.mcardle@rutlandherald.com


© 2011 Rutland Herald

AuntieEm2:
I don't know about Vermont law, but in most states a 16-year-old cannot give consent to sex with an adult (in some states they can give consent to another minor). The news reporting here is either irresponsible or sloppy.

The rationale of "I loved her and wanted to marry her" is very typical flawed thinking on the part of an adult who has sex with children, and the fact that a vulnerable child was persuaded to participate in the relationship does not constitute consenusal sex. When every aspect of a person's life is under the total control of another--food, shelter, education, medical care, psychological care, when they sleep, when they eat, what they read, whether they may speak to another student, when they can graduate and be liberated from the program--there is nothing consensual (legally or otherwise) in the behavior. Isolated residential treatment environments are absolutely ideal settings for those with an intention to sexually abuse the vulnerable people under their control.  

The fact that other students, staff, family, neighbors and friends were unaware of this 40-year-old's sexual behavior around children is in no way testimony to "he couldn't possibly do it." Child sexual abuse is so epidemically widespread--1 in 8 to 10 boys, 1 in 5 girls are victims--means that people in all our lives who we know, trust, admire and love are engaging in sexual behavior around children and we are unaware. Fact. Adults who sexually abuse children engage in highly secretive behavior, often for many years before being caught, and fear disclosure of their behavior to family and friends more than they fear disclosure to law enforcement. The fact that the behavior is taboo in society adds to its appeal--the taboo fuels the widespread appeal of pornography depecting "barely legal" girls and boys.

It is important to note that when offenders complete specialized treatment for sexual behavior problems--again they must complete specialized treatment--87% do not reoffend. The recidivism rate is lower than for other crimes of violence and greed.

If you or someone you know is having sexual thoughts around children, I urge you to visit http://http://www.stopitnow.org.

Auntie Em

AuntieEm2:
One reason those who sexually abuse others choose emotionally and physically vulnerable persons (including children) is because they have "credibility problems." We have for years dismissed reports of abuse from 6-year-olds as fabrications the same way we dismiss the reports of abuse from 16-year-olds with "very significant emotional and self esteem issues" as "lies."

One clear indication of the the man's guilt is his guilty plea. It is in fact legal proof of guilt.

Auntie Em

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