A Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School teacher, David Martinson, has been formally charged with multiple indecent assault and harassment counts following reports from female students of inappropriate touching and sexual comments at the school. Martinson, 61, stands accused of two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older, along with three counts each of criminal harassment and assault and battery, plus two counts of accosting or annoying another person, as per court records. The masslive.com reported that Martinson denied all charges during his arraignment this past Tuesday.
The specific charges relate to incidents wherein the teacher allegedly touched a student’s buttocks twice on school grounds, placed his hands around a student’s neck asking if she enjoyed being choked, and made various other unwanted physical contacts, according to the Boston.com. The arrest followed multiple student complaints leading to an investigation police initiated after incidents reported to have occurred between February and March and while the teacher pleaded not guilty to all charges, he posted a $5,000 cash bail and was released until his next court appearance scheduled for June 26.
Amid the unsettling allegations, Martinson’s attorney, Eric Goldman, emphasized his client’s 21-year history at Bay Path with no prior allegations or discipline, suggesting an image of a respected and well-liked figure who also served as a soccer coach. “All indications are that he is well-liked and respected,” Goldman wrote in an email to Boston.com. However, student testimonies paint a gravely different picture, describing a pattern of escalating inappropriate remarks and physical invasions that culminated in the charges Martinson now faces…