Webinar Description: Educator sexual misconduct is a serious problem; however, there have been few large-scale studies from which to gather its true extent. Over a period of five months, a middle school teacher was able to groom and sexually assault two of his students who were just 12 and 13 years old ? typical predator behavior. When a search warrant was executed at the suspect's house, detectives found much of the evidence had already been removed ? except for one piece. Thanks to the detailed disclosure of both victims, this case was able to be brought to a successful resolution with the defendant being indicted on 29 felonies followed by plea of guilt. Given the frequency of delayed disclosures in child sexual assault cases, this case is a perfect example of why the skill of interviewing is crucial in being able to obtain a very detailed disclosure to reach successful prosecution. This case study will take participants through the initial report of incident, the disclosures of the victims, challenges with mandatory reporters and how during the execution of the search warrant, the presence of a stuffed toy bunny would seal the fate of the predator.
Presenter: Jennifer Dobey, MPA, MS