Shattuck-st. Mary's Sex Scandal: Third Former Teacher Accused of Abusing Student

By Aaron Rupar
City Pages
November 21, 2012

http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2012/11/shattuck-st_marys_sex_scandal_third_former_teacher_accused_of_abusing_student.php

Joseph Machlitt (left) is accused of having oral sex with a 14-year-old Shattuck student in 1980.

Last month, two former teachers at Shattuck-St. Mary's boarding school in Faribault were accused of sexually assaulting students -- Lynn Phillip Seibel and the late Len Jones.

Those revelations apparently prompted former Shattuck student "JJ" to come forward on October 9 with accusations that art and photography teacher Joseph Machlitt sexually abused him in the summer of 1980. JJ was 14 years old at the time.

From Rice County court documents:


The charging document goes on to say that "JJ did not tell anyone about the abuse until he was 29... He [has] told several therapists."

During a subsequent interview with investigators, Machlitt confirmed he had a sexual relationship with JJ that summer. He left Faribault to take a job in New Hampshire before the next school year began.

As the Faribault Daily News reports, all of the recent sexual abuse allegations involve incidents that "happened on S-SM grounds -- either in a closed classroom setting or in the dormitories."

Last month, we spoke with attorney Gregg Myers of Jeff Anderson & Associates, a law firm known for litigating sexual abuse cases. Myers said the abuse allegations at Shattuck are "discouragingly similar to cases like Penn State."

"The situation [wasn't] handled correctly and people go on to have healthy careers as pedophiles that they should not have," he added.

Machlitt, now 63 and a St. Paul resident, faces two felony charges of criminal sexual conduct, including a 'criminal sexual conduct involving penetration' charge that could land him in prison for up to 10 years.