Trial looms for former Rosarian teacher accused of molesting students

By Daphne Duret
Palm Beach Post
May 6, 2015

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/crime-law/trial-looms-for-former-rosarian-teacher-accused-of/nk87t/

Former Rosarian Academy teacher Stephen Budd, in court for a bail hearing before Judge Stephen Rapp Friday morning May 3, 2013 in West Palm Beach. Budd’s attorney Jason Weiss requested a delay of the hearing and Budd was returned to his cell at the county jail.

Whether an older, third accuser will testify against former Rosarian Academy teacher Stephen Budd was a topic of discussion this morning at what could be one of the last hearings before his scheduled May 26 trial on child molestation charges.

Budd was arrested in April 2013 on sexual assault, cruelty towards a child and other charges related to claims that he traded candy for sex with two students at the private Catholic school in West Palm Beach.

As part of the investigation, authorities arranged calls between the alleged victims, who 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.

At this morning’s hearing, prosecutor Jessica Kahn filed paperwork asking CIrcuit Judge Karen Miller to allow jurors to hear testimony from another former Budd student who claims Budd behaved inappropriately with her more than a decade ago at a Riviera Beach Catholic school.

Budd’s attorney, Jason Weiss, after the hearing says he plans to file a response asking Miller to exclude the testimony.

Weiss had hoped that Miller could decide the issue in a hearing before the trial, but the judge this morning said she will take up the matter before jury selection in the case begins May 26.

Budd also once faced child pornography possession charges, but prosecutors dropped those charges last year.