Stamford Police arrested a public school teacher on Friday and charged him with 12 counts of Sexual Assault 4 and 12 counts of Risk of Injury to a Minor on Friday.
In a release, Stamford Police Dept’s Family Services Unit executed a search and seizure warrant at 115 Fillow Street # 60 in Norwalk.
The search stemmed from a lengthy investigation pertaining to 12 juvenile victims who reported inappropriate touching by a male teacher.
All these victims were female students.
Back on Friday February 23, 2024, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) notified Stamford Police of the allegations which prompted the investigation.
Stamford Police said they had been in contact with the Stamford Public Schools superintendent’s office throughout their investigation and learned 12 female students at Strawberry Hill Elementary School disclosed that they were inappropriately touched by a male teacher within the school.
Each of the students engaged in a forensic interview in which they disclosed details of their encounters.
The teacher, Andrew Park, was subsequently arrested and charged with 12 counts of Sexual Assault 4th, 12 counts Risk of Injury sections A1 and A2.
Mr. Park’s bond was set at $175,000 and he was assigned a date in Stamford Superior Court on Monday April 8, 2024.
According to his LinkedIn page, Mr. Park has worked at Stamford Schools since 2014, starting as an instructional paraprofessional.
In a statement, Stamford Schools said Mr. Park was immediately placed on leave after the district was made aware of the allegations.
“Stamford Public Schools commends those who came forward about this individual’s alleged behavior and also commends school staff for their response,” the district said in the statement.
Police said their investigation was ongoing pending additional victims and the results from the searched items.
“I would like to praise Investigator Festa and the other investigators who spent countless hours investigating the details of this case,” wrote Captain Eugene Dohmann in the release.