Painful Reminder of William Sheehan Comes Down Next Week

FOXBOROUGH, MA — The building that represents the painful atrocities allegedly committed by William Sheehan will come down next week.

On April 5 at about noon, residents and volunteers will meet at Cocasset River Park on Mill Street to demolish the building that was formerly the bathhouse and Sheehan's office.

"We have a great group of volunteers that have obtained the demo permit and provided the dumpsters and backhoes. The Child Sexual Abuse Awareness Committee is in front of this and as the mantra has been that what Sheehan did should never go undetected again as it did, this is also a teaching tool to emphasize that," Selectman Jim DeVellis said.

Victims who were hurt by Sheehan have been invited and will have a chance to participate in the demolition if they choose to. The event is open to the public because it provides the town a chance to show they are not shying away from the topic, DeVellis said.

"We will be aggressive to address it when it comes to our kids. Sheehan was immersed in our town through schools, recreation, conservation and scouting activities and as many of the past people serving in those departments are gone, we thought it would be fitting to invite the public and those that are serving in those positions now to attend as a way of acknowledging the past in order to bring a better future for our kids," he said.

Since 2012, several victims of Sheehan have stepped forward to say that they were molested by the former teacher, boys scout leader, and town swimming coordinator. Sheehan, who currently residents in a monitored and secured living facility in Florida, is incoherent and was deemed not fit for trial. Warrants for his arrest remain active in the event that changes.

Image: The entrance to Cocasset River Park. Credit: Google Maps