Milwaukee teacher accused, sexual assault of student
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee teacher is charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child, accused of inappropriately touching a student earlier in October.
Milwaukee police were called to Rocketship Transformation Prep, a public charter school, near 68th and Silver Spring on Oct. 11. There, it was reported that a 5-year-old student had been sexually assaulted by a teacher. That teacher, a criminal complaint states, was identified as 42-year-old Benjamin Anderson.
The victim told their mother, per the complaint, that "Mr. Ben" taught them how to perform an inappropriate act the week prior to the incident being reported, between Oct. 4 and Oct. 7. The complaint states the teacher "advised" the victim that they shouldn't tell because then the victim "would not get any candy." The victim told police that Anderson's actions made them mad, and that it happened while other kids were in "Miss Kelly's class."
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The school's principal identified "Mr. Ben" as Anderson. The complaint states Anderson was on supervision through the Wisconsin Department of Corrections for leaving/storing a gun near a child, and his booking photo also matched the description of "Mr. Ben."
In an interview with police, the complaint states Anderson said he knew the victim but denied the actions. He said the two of them were never alone in the classroom, and that he did not know a "Miss Kelly" – adding there were no teachers at the school named "Miss Kelly."
Rocketship Transformation Prep
Thursday, anxious parents went into the elementary school for a town hall to discuss the situation.
"Crazy, creepy, who can you trust?" one parent said. The parent has a student in Anderson's class, and asked to remain anonymous out of concern for her child's safety. "It makes you just not want to bring your kids to school – like keep them home."
In a letter to families obtained by FOX6 News, the school's executive director said Anderson was "immediately placed on leave and he has not returned to campus" since the allegations became known to the school on Oct. 12. The school said Thursday he's suspended without pay.
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The statement continued to say Anderson's previous misdemeanor conviction "should have disqualified him from employment" at the school. An audit of other staff members found no other such cases, the statement said.
"How can you not see that before you even hired him?" the parent said.
Anderson, a man families put their trust into, is now accused of betraying that trust.
Rocketship Transformation Prep
"I just told (my child) basically if someone was to touch him, just to let me know, any kind of way," the parent said. "I just don’t feel like nowhere is safe, actually,"
The school told FOX6 that crisis counselors have been brought in, and they've hired independent investigators who are working with police.
Court records show Anderson made his initial court appearance on Oct. 19 and had cash bond set at $10,000. He is due back in court on Oct. 28.