Salesian High School Teacher Arrested for Alleged Sexual Abuse
California Catholic Daily
May 7, 2008
http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=e9ebcd1e-ccaa-4928-a39b-24e0f1d78033
A Catholic high school that has several times been embroiled in the clergy sexual abuse crisis is in the news again because of new accusations of abuse. Since its beginnings as a minor seminary in the 1950s, Salesian High School in Richmond has had six clergymen connected with it accused of sexual abuse of minors, while three others were accused after they left the private school. This time, however, it is not a priest or brother but a lay teacher who has been accused of — and arrested for — sexually abusing one of his students.
 |
About a month ago, Richmond police received information that Salesian High School biology teacher Rickey Bonds, 30, (a Salesian graduate) was engaged in a sexual relationship with an underage girl. Rumors spread by students reached police, as well as the group, Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests. Members of the group on April 11 distributed leaflets outside the school to draw public attention to the rumors.
"I got several calls from several students saying there was ongoing abuse there and that everybody knew about it, and what my biggest question to the faculty there is why wasn't this reported before?" said SNAP's Joey Piscitelli, according to a May 2 CBS 5 news report.
The alleged victim is a 16-year old girl, one of Bonds' students over the past year. According to news reports, Bonds allegedly had a month's-long (some say consensual) relationship with the girl. Bonds has taught anatomy as well as biology at Salesian for two years.
Salesian High learned of the rumors on April 10, reported them to Richmond police and Contra Costa Children and Family Services, and placed Bonds on leave, said a written statement released by the school. (The school has not yet fired Bonds.) On April 30, Bonds, accompanied by his lawyer, turned himself in to Richmond police. Bonds was jailed and his bail set at $2.5 million.
On May 1, the school read a news release detailing the allegations to students and answered their questions "to help them understand they're in a safe environment and to make sure if they've encountered sexual abuse, that they have an avenue for reporting it," the school's principal, Timothy Chambers, told the May 1 Contra Costa Times.
Police say they found no evidence that Bonds abused anyone else. But SNAP's Piscitelli told CBS 5 that, based on conversations Piscitelli has had with students, Bonds has abused more girls. SNAP held a press conference outside the school on May 2 to encourage students who may have been abused to come forward.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.