Former Cranston West teacher sentenced for sexual assault of students. Why he won't serve time.
A former Cranston High School West science teacher who pleaded no contest to sexually assaulting five of his students will not spend any time in prison.
Charles Pearson, 65, of Warwick, was accused of inappropriately touching four female students. He was charged with seven counts of second-degree sexual assault, a felony, in 2017.
In 2019, he was further charged with first-degree sexual assault and three more counts of second-degree sexual assault of another female student.
All of the incidents occurred in late 2016 and early 2017, according to court documents.
How did Pearson escape jail time?
Because of a plea deal, Pearson received a five-year suspended sentence in Rhode Island Superior Court Wednesday after pleading no contest to five charges of second-degree sexual assault, one for each victim. He will be on probation during those years and cannot contact the victims. He will also have to register as a sex offender and attend counseling.
The additional charges were dismissed by prosecutors.
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Victims call Pearson a 'monster'
Assistant Attorney General Meghan McDonough read part of a statement written by one of Pearson’s victims, who called him a “monster.”
“Some nights, I wake up screaming, yelling at you to stop,” she wrote. She struggles with poor self-image because of Pearson and has felt like she can’t live while the case is open, she added. She has been suicidal and so anxious she can’t eat, she wrote.
More: Police: Cranston teacher accused in sex assaults had 2001 accusation
That former student’s mother delivered a tearful statement to the court.
“Suddenly, she wouldn’t go to school. She wouldn’t go to church. She would jump when anyone walked behind her,” she said. “Charles Pearson stole my child’s innocence.”
She called Pearson an “evil man” and a “child molester” who feels no remorse.
Pearson also addressed the court. “My passion was always helping young people learn,” he said. He enjoyed having close relationships with his students and didn’t mean to cross a line, but did with physical contact, he added.
“For that, I am truly sorry,” he said.
Judge hopes for closure with sentence
Superior Court Associate Justice Linda Rekas Sloan said, “It doesn’t matter what happens today. Even if it could be life, it would not remedy the trauma that was done to these victims.” But she said she hopes the end of the case will bring some closure.
The plea deal was recommended by Superior Court Associate Justice Richard Raspallo, she said.
Cranston police previously said that Pearson was forced to resign from a teaching job at the Rhode Island Training School in 2001 following inappropriate touching allegations. He also resigned from a girls’ soccer coach role in 2013 after he allegedly touched a player inappropriately, police said.
Pearson was represented by John MacDonald, who said his client has resigned from his Cranston teaching position and has an inactive teaching license. Officials previously said Pearson had passed a background check when he was hired.
The cases took so long to resolve because of factors including the multiple victims, the addition of the 2019 case and the COVID-19 pandemic, MacDonald said.
Noble Brigham is a senior journalism student at Brown. Email him at noble_brigham@brown.edu
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Former Cranston teacher Charles Pearson sentenced for assaulting students
