A Bay Path Vocational Technical High School teacher who has taught at the school for over 20 years was arrested Monday on indecent assault and harassment charges, according to court records and his lawyer.
David Martinson, 61, has been charged with two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older, three counts of criminal harassment, two counts of assault and battery and two counts of accosting or annoying another person, according to court records. He pleaded not guilty to the charges during his arraignment in Dudley District Court on Tuesday.
The charges stem from reports from female Bay Path students that Martinson inappropriately touched and repeatedly made sexual comments toward them, according to the Telegram & Gazette.
The assault charges specifically are tied to allegations that the teacher touched a minor student‘s buttocks at school twice, put his hands around that student‘s neck while asking if she liked being choked, touched a second student‘s back and buttocks and touched a third student‘s back inappropriately, the newspaper reported.
Martinson’s lawyer, Eric Goldman, said in a statement Tuesday night that his client “has been a teacher at Bay Path for 21 years, and there has not been any prior allegations or discipline.”
“He has also been a soccer coach, and all indications are that he is well-liked and respected,” the statement reads.
Bay Path Superintendent Kyle Brenner confirmed in a communication to the school community on Tuesday that an unnamed teacher is facing criminal charges. He wrote that he could not comment on the allegations against the teacher as they are a private personnel matter, but added that “the District will take all appropriate action to safeguard students.”
Brenner could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening, but told the Telegram & Gazette that Martinson was placed on paid leave as soon as the allegations against him came to light. The superintendent also said the school is investigating the matter internally.
The allegations against Martinson
A report from Charlton police states that officers began investigating Martinson after two female Bay Path students told multiple teachers “what had been going on” on March 11, according to the Telegram & Gazette. One of the students alleged that he had grabbed her buttocks at school the day prior.
Police interviewed multiple students who recounted similar stories about being “creeped” out by the teacher’s behavior, the newspaper reported. The police report included “a litany of inappropriate things Martinson allegedly said to students.”
“Among the conduct listed: allegedly making sexual jokes with students, saying he’d like to have ‘fun’ with a student and get their number when they turned 18, telling a student she was at the ‘perfect angle’ when she was working on something kneeling in front of him, asking two female students why they hadn’t engaged in a threesome yet, making a comment about his vasectomy, removing a student‘s hair tie, telling a student she seemed like someone who would like getting their hair pulled, and repeatedly asking a student when she lost her virginity in front of others in a ‘classroom setting,’” the Telegram & Gazette article reads.
Some students also told police that they were displeased with how certain Bay Path teachers and administrators had responded to reports they had made about Martinson’s behavior, the newspaper reported. They said that administrators had asked them if the incidents had happened after the teacher had undergone a brain surgery.
The report also indicates that at least two teachers declined to be questioned by police about the allegations against Martinson unless their lawyer was present, according to the Telegram & Gazette.
What‘s next
The date of offense for all nine charges is listed as Feb. 1, but a warrant for Martinson’s arrest wasn’t issued until Friday when police filed a criminal complaint in Dudley District Court, according to court records. It is unclear why police did not apply for a warrant for the teacher’s arrest until this month.
During Martinson’s arraignment on May 5, the judge held him on $5,000 cash bail with conditions for his release, according to court records. He posted bail and was released the same day.
A LinkedIn profile for Martinson indicates that he is the head of Bay Path’s customer service department, a cabinet making and remodeling teacher at the school and the head coach for its boys bowling and varsity soccer teams.
Martinson is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on June 26.
