Student Sought Classmates’ Help to Avoid Sexual Abuse at Bishop Baumgartner

By Janela Carrera
Pacific News Center
August 31, 2017

http://pacificnewscenter.com/report-student-sought-classmates-help-to-avoid-sexual-abuse-at-bishop-baumgartner/


The student broke down in tears during her interview with police.

Guam – The Bishop Baumgartner Memorial School P.E. teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student is now facing charges of second degree criminal sexual conduct.

The alleged victim is only 10 years old. A magistrate complaint filed against Peregrine San Nicolas says the student was in San Nicolas’ 5th grade class last school year which is when the alleged sexual abuse began.

The complaint says that it happened earlier in the year between January and March. The victim told police that San Nicolas would often require her to stay back after class which is when he would allegedly touch her.

The last time it happened, according to the victim, was last Friday. At the time, she asked her friends to stay back because “if you guys are with me he won’t do it.”

But the student told police that her friends couldn’t stay back because San Nicolas ordered them to go to the locker room.

The case finally broke after a friend noticed that the girl was acting strange in class. When the friend inquired about her strange behavior, the victim “broke down and cried and confided in her two classmates.”

Eventually, the other student’s mother contacted the victim’s mother to report the situation which is when the mother contacted the school’s administration.

During the police interview, the 10-year-old girl continued to break down in tears as she explained how San Nicolas would allegedly touch her chest area. Her friends were also interviewed and they corroborated the victim’s statements that she appeared distressed about the situation and would cry when she saw San Nicolas.

But when San Nicolas was interviewed, he told police that he never intentionally touched the student. San Nicolas said he did place his right arm around the girl’s shoulder and may have unintentionally moved his hand down toward her chest area by accident while they were walking.

When asked why he would require the victim to stay back after class, San Nicolas said it was only to discuss her participation and about another student who was bothering her.

San Nicolas was charged with second degree criminal sexual conduct as a first degree felony, child abuse as a misdemeanor and harassment as a petty misdemeanor.

BBMS administration placed the P.E. teacher, who’s been with the school for 12 years, on administrative leave pending the outcome of his case.