A Whitman man who once ran a Newton circus and acrobatics school was convicted Wednesday of multiple counts of assaulting two teenage students, prosecutors said. A weeklong trial in Brockton ended with jurors returning guilty verdicts on several charges and an acquittal on one additional count. The allegations, first reported to police in late 2020, triggered a multi-year investigation.
Trial and verdict
As reported by WCVB, jurors convicted Steven Santos of five counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older, along with a lesser included assault and battery charge. The jury deliberated for about two hours after hearing a week of testimony, according to the district attorney's office. Santos was acquitted on a separate count and was released to home confinement while he awaits sentencing.
How the case unfolded
The case began in October 2020, when a juvenile reported being sexually assaulted by their circus coach, according to a 2021 press release from the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office. That release states that Whitman Police arrested Santos in January 2021 and that he operated a Newton business called Simply Circus. At his arraignment, prosecutors sought protective conditions that included no contact with minors. The DA's office said the judge set cash bail and imposed restrictions at that time.
What happens next
Santos is scheduled for another court hearing on March 26 and remains on home confinement as the court moves toward sentencing, WCVB reports. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Local training site
Business directories and archived program materials describe Simply Circus as a Newton-based studio that offered circus and acrobatics classes for children and teens. A company profile on Cience lists the organization on Pierrepont Road in Newton, which aligns with the DA's account that Santos once operated the studio there.
