Latest news with #sexualmisconduct
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Former rehab exec charged in alleged harassment of N.H. journalists
May 31 (UPI) -- The former leader of two rehab centers faces federal charges in the alleged harassment of New Hampshire Public Radio journalists in retaliation for an unfavorable news story about alleged sexual misconduct. Eric Spofford, 40, was arrested Friday after being indicted by a federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts on one count of conspiracy to commit stalking through interstate travel and using a facility of interstate commerce; one count of stalking using a facility of interstate commerce; and two counts of stalking through interstate travel, the Departmentof Justice announced. Each count is punishable by up to five years imprisonment, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Spofford is the founder and former chief executive officer of the for-profit Granite Recovery Centers in Salem, N.H., and Miami. He has an arraignment hearing scheduled at 3:30 p.m. EDT Monday at the federal courthouse in Boston. GRC is one of the largest drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers in New England, and Spofford sold it in 2021 for $115 million, The New York Times reported. Many abuses detailed NHPR on March 22, 2022, published an online article that discussed allegations of sexual misconduct, abusive leadership and retaliation by Spofford. He allegedly harassed former patients and staff, and was accused of sexually assaulting at least two staff members. One former patient said he sent her unwanted text messages and at least one photo of an obscene nature, which she said caused her to suffer a relapse. Several staffers and a former chief operating officer left GRC due to the alleged behavior by Spofford, according to the article. He denied the allegations, but the article gained a lot of attention locally and nationally, according to the DOJ. He sued the public radio station for defamation, but a judge dismissed the case in 2023. A scheme to 'harass and terrorize' From March 2022 through at least May 2022, Spofford allegedly "devised a scheme to harass and terrorize the journalist who authored the article, the journalist's immediate family members [and] a senior editor at NHPR," the DOJ said. Federal prosecutors say he paid a close friend, Eric Labarge, $20,000 to undertake the scheme and provided him with names, addresses and instructions on how to stalk and harass the intended victims. Labarge enlisted the help of three others to stalk and harass the victims, all of whom were charged and convicted of crimes related to the scheme, DOJ said. Labarge, Tucker Cockerline, Keenan Saniatan and Michael Waselchuk last year were sentenced to between 21 months and 46 months in prison.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
King County deputy accused of raping 17-year-old girl
The Brief King County Sheriff's deputy Ricardo Cueva is charged with raping a 17-year-old girl he met through a youth program. The alleged incidents occurred in 2017 and 2018 while Cueva led the sheriff's office's Explorer Program. Cueva is on administrative leave, with bail set at $150,000. BURIEN, Wash. - A King County Sheriff's deputy has been charged with allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl. Ricardo Cueva is facing charges of third-degree rape and first-degree sexual misconduct with minor. The alleged incidents occurred back in 2017 and 2018, when Cueva was lead of the King County Sheriff's Explorer Program at the Burien Police Department. The Explorer Program had the goal of connecting young adults ages 14 to 21 with law enforcement. Court documents state Cueva met the victim through the program, accused of having sexual relations with the victim multiple times, sometimes while still in uniform. The Burien City Council previously awarded Cueva with Employee of the Year for 2018. The victim said the award made her even more fearful of coming forward with the allegations, worrying that no one would believe her. Cueva was also the subject oaf norther sexual misconduct case in 2014, accused of touching a 10-year-old girl, according to court documents. The sheriff's office ultimately found no evidence and dismissed the case. A judge set Cueva's bail at $150,000 on Friday. He was placed on administrative leave. The Source Information in this story is from court documents obtained through King County Superior Court, the Burien City Council and FOX 13 Seattle reporting. Homicide investigation underway after 5-year-old dies in Federal Way, WA Major 5-day SR 18 closure at I-90 in Snoqualmie, WA Alaska man pinned by 700-pound boulder for 3 hours walks away unharmed Why hasn't anyone been charged in Seattle clash arrests? What we know Mandatory driver's education to expand under new Washington law To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
CBC
3 days ago
- General
- CBC
79-year-old retired priest charged in P.E.I. with sex-related offences from the late 1980s
Rev. Brendon Gallant served more than 15 Roman Catholic parishes on P.E.I. before he retired. Now he's facing charges that go back to the late 1980s, allegedly involving sexual misconduct against a minor. The CBC's Nicola MacLeod explains.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Drama teacher's shocking inappropriate demands of teenage girls that he claimed were part of 'vulnerability' class
A drama teacher is under 'formal investigation' after female students - some just teens - stripped naked in front of their entire class during a so-called 'vulnerability exercise.' Mace Archer, 56, allegedly positioned himself in the director's chair and watched as three women undressed on stage during mandatory midterm performances at Mesa Community College in Arizona. Two of the women stripped down to their underwear, while a third student removed every piece of clothing under the glaring stage lights, according to an investigation by the Arizona Republic. The performance came after a two-year campaign of alleged sexual misconduct that college bosses reportedly ignored. Students described a pattern of inappropriate behavior that included lingering touches, sexual flirtation, and forcing pupils to watch pornographic content during class, as reported by the Arizona Republic. The students even created a secret computer file to document Archer's alleged conduct over more than two years. The document allegedly contained over a dozen anonymous reports of misconduct. Archer allegedly encouraged one woman to 'dive into' her sexual assault experiences during performances, straddled another female student during a classroom demonstration, and showed the entire class a video of an orgy featuring multiple sex acts. 'There were lingering touches on my knees or shoulders,' revealed graduate Brecklyn Hall, who described her experience in the theater program to the outlet. 'My experience isn't nearly as insane as others. But it was really hard being in the class with him.' Despite months of student complaints and at least one formal report to administrators in February, college officials allowed Archer to continue teaching young women. This was after they learned about the shocking stripping exercise that took place during midterms on March 18 and 20. The investigation exposes how Mesa Community College administrators promised to look 'into the learning objectives' of the acting courses but failed to protect students from further alleged abuse. Student Gabrielle Monroe witnessed the horrifying midterm performances in the college's 'black box' theater, where approximately 16 students were forced to attend the mandatory exercise designed to help them 'face their fears.' 'On the first day, two women stripped down to their underwear. The person who got naked was on the second day,' Monroe revealed in shocking detail. 'We all knew what to expect.' One student removed every piece of clothing under the bright stage lights. 'She was just silent. She just took her clothes off,' Monroe described. 'People were kind of shocked, but it was silent. No music, no talking, nothing.' The young woman folded her clothes neatly on a chair, removed her underwear, then briefly put on a robe before the performance mercifully ended within minutes. Monroe revealed that Archer had deliberately prepared students for the stripping, discussing in previous classes how women had removed their clothes for similar assignments in the past. The instructor met individually with students to discuss their 'risk assignment' ideas, with multiple women claiming he specifically targeted younger girls in the class. 'It was mostly the younger, teenage girls in class,' Monroe exposed. 'I have heard from other women that their initial idea was not enough of a fear risk, and he suggested that they remove articles of clothing.' Maricopa Community Colleges spokesperson Lindsey Wilson told the outlet: 'Because this is an active personnel matter, we cannot provide specific details to protect the privacy of those involved.' 'Our colleges take any allegations of misconduct seriously and are committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and supportive environment for students, faculty, and staff.'
The Independent
4 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Paramedic asked student out for dinner and offered to remove her tampon during medical emergency
A paramedic has been struck off the register after offering to remove a student's tampon while she was suffering a medical emergency. James Birdseye, who was employed by South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust, told the student he wanted to see her naked and that he had 'slept with other students' while they worked a shift together on June 22 2019. He then conducted a clinical examination of the student without her consent after she had started to unexpectedly bleed, before pulling down her trousers and underwear without permission and making inappropriate remarks about her genital area, according to a Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) tribunal panel. The panel found Mr Birdseye's behaviour was 'predatory in nature' and the emergency had given him 'an opportunity to exploit the situation to gain sexual gratification'. The paramedic also kissed the student on her cheek and offered to take her out for a meal and drinks during the incident. Mr Birdseye was suspended by the trust four days after the incident, and resigned from his role on November 4 2019 following an internal investigation. In a statement provided for a review hearing into the matter on May 19 2025, Mr Birdseye said he was 'deeply regretful' of his actions and apologised for any harm or distress he caused to the student. He said: 'I can accept that in the events leading up to the incident with Student A, I displayed an overfamiliarity with them that crossed the boundaries of a normal professional relationship and I acted in a manner than I am not proud of. 'I did not give enough thought to the impact that my behaviour could have on Student A who was in a vulnerable state. 'While I do not agree to having maliciously used this vulnerable state to pursue a sexual relationship with them, I do concede that my behaviour fell drastically short not only of what the profession expected of me but what I should have expected of myself nor only as a practising paramedic but as a person, a mentor and a father of teenage children.' Mr Birdseye said he had undertaken a course on maintaining professional boundaries following the incident, adding: 'I did not adequately alter my view of Student A from colleague to patient'. The HCPC panel found Mr Birdseye's behaviour caused the student 'emotional harm and unwanted sexual harassment' and amounted to serious professional misconduct. 'The panel finds that the registrant's conduct on 22 June 2019 was predatory in nature as Student A was new to the workplace, the registrant had deliberately manipulated the crew rota sheets to ensure he was working with her, there was a power imbalance, and his comments across the day were said in an attempt to establish a future sexual relationship with Student A,' the panel said. 'To this extent the conduct was premeditated, demonstrated an abuse of his professional position and was not isolated in nature. 'The subsequent medical emergency, which could not have been foreseen, gave the registrant an opportunity to exploit the situation to gain sexual gratification.' The panel made an order to strike the paramedic's name from the register after determining his fitness to practise remains impaired, having initially suspended the paramedic for a period of 12 months in April last year. They said: 'While the panel note that the registrant does not wish to return to practice, this may change in the future and not restricting him, given the seriousness of the allegation found proven, would undermine public confidence in the profession and the HCPC.'
