A teacher from Cape Cod has been indicted on charges that include rape and assault of a student with intellectual disabilities, the Cape and Islands District Attorney's office disclosed. Frederick Walters, aged 60, is accused of sexually assaulting a student from the Latham Centers, a special education institution where he was employed.
According to reports by NBC Boston, the alleged incidents came to light on October 9, when Walters purportedly took the student off-campus under the pretense of visiting a local store but instead transported her to his residence and raped her. In a statement obtained by Boston 25 News, the district attorney's office mentioned that the student had also reported previous rapes that occurred at the school several months prior to this incident.
The scope of the charges against Walters is substantial. As per the indictment details shared by Boston 25 News, he faces two counts of aggravated rape, four counts of rape, six counts of indecent assault and battery on an individual with intellectual disabilities, and one count of intimidation of a witness. After an arraignment in Orleans district court in November, where he pleaded not guilty, Walters was released on a $5,000 cash bail with a GPS monitoring device.
In the aftermath of the indictment, a spokesperson for Latham Centers, Karen Schwartzman, emphasized the severity of the situation. “Our highest priority is to keep our students safe and our staff works tirelessly to ensure that no student in our care is ever at risk. That any person, while employed at Latham, could have acted toward a member of our community in such a way as to be criminally charged is an offense not only to the student he put in jeopardy but to every member of our staff.” Schwartzman told Boston 25 News. Walters' attorney, Nathan Amendola, proclaimed his client's innocence and told investigative reporter Ted Daniel that the teacher is looking forward to proving his innocence.
Details on the legal proceedings are still developing. As of the latest updates, it is uncertain if Walters currently has legal representation. The Latham Centers, well-known for their work with individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by developmental delays and mild cognitive impairment, have not issued a comment following the indictment, according to The Boston Globe. Walters is scheduled to be arraigned at a later date in Barnstable Superior Court.
