West Hartford School Para Charged With Sexual Assault: WHPD

WEST HARTFORD/HARTFORD, CT — A Hartford man and West Hartford school system paraprofessional has been charged with sexual assault after police said he inappropriately touched two minors.

According to the West Hartford Police Department, Dean Allen Jones III, 24, of Hartford, was charged with two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and one count of enticing a minor by a computer.

Police said Jones, who was taken into custody March 7, was able to post his total $125,000 bond and will appear in Hartford Superior Court March 20.

The incident stems back to January, police said in a news release issued Monday night.

According to the WHPD, the department's detective division investigated an allegation that a paraprofessional in the STRIVE Program (Success Through Responsibility, Initiative, Vision and Education) "inappropriately touched two juvenile students."

The STRIVE Program, according to the West Hartford Public Schools' website, is for middle and high school students with "significant behavioral and emotional disabilities."

STRIVE classes are taught at King Philip Middle School, Sedgwick Middle School, and for students in grades 9-12, on the campus of the American School for the Deaf in the Cogswell Building at 139 N. Main St., West Hartford.

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Police said on Jan. 16, the department was notified by personnel from the West Hartford Board of Education that a paraprofessional at the STRIVE Program was suspected of inappropriately touching two juvenile students.

This prompted an immediate investigation by the West Hartford Police Detective Division.

"After a thorough investigation, two arrest warrants were sought charging the suspect with a variety of criminal violations," wrote WHPD Lt. Ryan Riley in a release.

"These violations included text messages which were sexual in nature to a student."

West Hartford School Superintendent Paul Vicinus said Jones was suspended immediately after the accusations pending the police probe and is no longer working for the school system.

He released the following statement:

"Upon receiving information regarding his alleged behavior, we immediately notified the West Hartford Police Department as well as the Department of Children and Families and suspended the employee until the police concluded their investigation. The WHPD notified us today that the former employee was arrested and formally charged. The individual is no longer in the employ of West Hartford Public Schools.

"Throughout this process, school personnel, DCF and WHPD have been in communication with the families of the student(s) involved and appropriate supports continue to be available. The safety and well-being of all students is a top priority and the parties involved are to be commended for coming forward to report this very regrettable and inappropriate situation.

"I can appreciate the upsetting nature of news of such behavior and its departure from the very high standards for expectations of professional and moral conduct. Both the district and the STRIVE School community remain committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment that preserves the dignity and respect of all individuals and enables the conditions for student growth and learning."

Anyone with information regarding this incident, or other similar incidents, is asked to contact the West Hartford Police Department through the WHPD Tip Line/email at 860-570-8969 / whpdtips@westhartfordct.gov.

For the full report, click on this link.