When former students of Miss Hall’s School came forward in the spring of 2024 with allegations that then-teacher Matthew Rutledge had sexually assaulted them, they were shocked by the reaction of local law enforcement. Survivor Melissa Fares, the first graduate of the elite all-girls school to speak out, told legislators how it felt during a State House hearing in June 2025.
“Last October, I received a message from a reporter telling me that the man who had groomed and sexually abused me as a teenager would not face criminal charges. According to a press release from the DA’s office, while the behavior was troubling, it was not illegal,” she said. “I had reported rape. I had told my story to law enforcement in Massachusetts twice, but they maintained they were constrained from pursuing criminal charges.”
Due to Fares being over 16 years old — the state’s age of consent — at the time of the alleged assault, Berkshire District Attorney Timothy Shugrue claimed his hands were tied in regards to prosecuting Rutledge…