FLORIDA
Palm Beach Post
By Alexandra Seltzer
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Just hours after a county judge denied bail for a Palm Beach County school teacher accused of sexually assaulting a former student, West Palm Beach’s police chief called on parents to come forward if their children claim they also were assaulted by the 51-year-old man.
Stephen Budd was arrested late Wednesday at his West Palm Beach apartment, not long after a former student of his at Rosarian Academy School, a private Catholic school in West Palm Beach, told police that during the 2006-07 school year, Budd would give them “Budd bucks,” which she explained was candy in return for sexual acts.
The girls were 9 years old at the time of alleged abuse. The former students shared an oath and didn’t want anyone to know about what happened, a city police spokesman said.
“We, based on our investigation, feel that he is a serial offender,” West Palm Beach Police Chief Vincent Demasi said Thursday at police headquarters. “We’re very confident that there are additional victims out there.”
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