Archbishop Curley Teacher Charged with Sexual Abuse

By Ian Duncan
Baltimore Sun
April 4, 2014

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/blog/bs-md-teacher-arrested-20140404,0,3074434.story

A science teacher at Archbishop Curley High School accused of engaging in sexual activity with a student was charged Friday with sexual abuse of a minor.

Lynette Nicole Trotta, 33, is being held in jail on a $100,000 bail; her initial bail had been $250,000 but was reduced by a judge. She has also been suspended from work.

School officials learned about the allegations from a librarian on Tuesday and worked with police to investigate, according to a statement released by the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore.

The 17-year-old student told investigators Thursday that Trotta began showing a personal interest in him in November 2013 at a day care center, according to police. The two began emailing and texting, and at some point the exchanges became sexual, the student told police.

Late last year and early this year, Trotta would pull the student out of class to spend time kissing in her classroom, he told investigators. During one of the meetings, the student performed a sex act on the teacher, according to police, and did so again while she was driving him home from an after-school event.

No attorney is listed for Trotta in court records.

The Rev. Joseph Benicewicz, the president of Archbishop Curley, said in a letter to parents that the all-boys school is committed to creating a safe environment for its students.

"I as president and the entire administration do our absolute best to make sure that our teachers and staff are of high moral quality and that they embody the values on which this school is built," Benicewicz said in the letter.

The school asked parents, students and alumni to get in touch if they had any concerns about Trotta.

School officials believe the librarian knew about the alleged abuse for a number of weeks before she reported it. She has been suspended for not coming forward immediately, the archdiocese said. Attempts to reach her for comment were unsuccessful.

Sean Caine, a spokesman for the archdiocese, said it was concerning that the employee did not report any concerns quickly, as staff are trained to do.

"We will be further investigating now that the police have given us the go ahead to do our own investigation," he added.

Contact: iduncan@baltsun.com