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	Warrant Alleges Year of Sex Abuse of 15-year-old By Ronald Derosa Thomaston Express May 21, 2010 http://www.foothillsmediagroup.com/articles/2010/05/20/thomaston/news/doc4bf55765b0448117704257.txt LITCHFIELD — For nearly a year, former religion teacher David G. Stanco allegedly molested one of his 15-year-old students at his Thomaston home, touching the boy while in a hot tub and performing oral sex on him in the suspect’s bedroom, according to an arrest warrant unsealed Tuesday. That very juvenile lodged a complaint with the Thomaston police on March 28 leading to the arrest of the 57-year-old teacher of Confraternity Christian Doctrine. According to the warrant, the boy looked at Stanco as someone who was “close to God,” trusting him because “he was a CCD teacher.” Stanco entered not guilty pleas in Litchfield Superior Court Tuesday to charges of second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor. According to his arrest warrant, Stanco was an organist at St. Thomas Church in Thomaston and previously at the United Methodist Church in Watertown. He began teaching CCD in Thomaston in 2008, when in October of that year he met the 15-year-old complainant, according to the warrant. The defendant gave everyone in the class his e-mail address, telling the students if they “needed help he could be there for them, not as a teacher but as a friend,” the complainant told police. “I took this as an invitation to talk to someone close to God,” the 15-year-old boy told police. “Because he taught CCD and I needed to talk to someone because my parents were not getting along.” Once the complainant started e-mailing Stanco, he began picking the boy up at his house and taking him places, sometimes on overnight trips. The warrant details a friendly relationship at first, with the youth also doing odd jobs around Stanco’s home such as shoveling snow. That, however, changed in early 2009 when Stanco allegedly began inviting the complainant to join him in Stanco’s hot tub at his Thomaston apartment, located at 143 Pine Hill Road, Unit 11E. The complainant said he felt “safe” because “he was my CCD teacher,” the warrant states. Stanco asked the boy to wear a pair of basketball shorts, and no underwear, police said. While initially there was no sexual touching, Stanco allegedly began touching the boy’s genitals regularly starting in May 2009. From there, Stanco allegedly would summon the boy to his bedroom where Stanco performed oral sex on the boy, court documents stated. The boy allegedly told police he did not want to proceed. As soon as allegations surfaced, and once police started investigating, the Archdiocese of Hartford put Stanco on administrative leave from his duties as St. Thomas’ part-time organist, said Rev. John Gatzak, diocese spokesman. Stanco had only served as a volunteer CCD teacher for one year, from September 2008 to May 2009, and was not invited back after that, Gatzak said. “The sister who was in charge of religious education for the parish did not like his teaching style,” he said. This was the first instance of sexual abuse allegations against Stanco, Gatzak said. He, like other candidates for CCD teaching, was vetted and checked on his background, which showed no prior criminal record, Gatzak said. Stanco served as the part-time organist since October 2003, he said. Gatzak said the diocese is “deeply troubled” by the allegations, but both the parish and the archdiocese have been cooperating with the Thomaston police. “The archdiocese, as well as St. Thomas parish, is urging any individuals who have any information that might be helpful to police to so inform them,” the spokesman said. When asked what the archdiocese could learn from this, Gatzak said further ways to protect its young people. “One instance of abuse is one too many,” he said, reiterating that the archdiocese has measures in place to combat sexual abuse of minors. Sgt. James Campbell, of the Thomaston Police Department, said the investigation is still ongoing both in Thomaston and Watertown — where other allegations have since surfaced from other complainants. Campbell said no further charges, however, are expected at this time. “But that could change at some point,” Campbell said. “We are working together with Watertown… there are two separate investigations.” Stanco is due back in Litchfield Superior Court on June 16. He is being represented by Attorney Christopher Cosgrove, of the public defender’s office.
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