Former Latham Teacher Accused Of Rape

BREWSTER – A former vocational teacher at the Latham Centers was arraigned Wednesday on charges connected with the alleged rape of a 22-year-old female student with significant developmental delays. Frederick W. Walters of Brewster pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on $5,000 bail.

Police opened an investigation on Oct. 9 after the student told her father about the alleged abuse that had taken place earlier in the day. According to a report written by Brewster Police Det. Jacob Zontini, the student said Walters had driven her to his house on Great Fields Road and had taken off her clothes and touched her breasts and genitals. At the time, Walters had told his employer that he had driven the student to a home center in Dennis to pick up supplies for a project they were working on, but prosecutors said there is no evidence that he did so.

The alleged victim told investigators that just before the incident, Walters “told her that he would call the police and get her in trouble because she was hurting herself,” the police report reads. At the time of the alleged rape, the victim “told him ‘This is not okay,’ and that [Walters] stated, ‘I don’t like when you say that... don’t tell anyone, I don’t want to get in trouble.’”

Investigators say a DNA test from the state police crime lab showed evidence of male DNA on the student’s body.

Walters was charged with rape, indecent assault and battery on a disabled person and witness intimidation. He was freed on bail but required to wear a GPS monitoring device and to stay away from the alleged victim. He will return to court on Feb. 14 for a pretrial conference. A Latham Centers staff member told investigators on Oct. 9 that Walters would be sent home if he arrived at work the following day, pending the outcome of an investigation.

A school psychiatrist told investigators that the alleged victim has the mental function of a 6-year-old, but “knows the difference between truth and lies, real and fake and right and wrong, just as any 6-year-old would,” the police report reads.

The alleged victim told investigators that there had been other assaults, saying that Walters had touched her inappropriately in a “downstairs” room at the school at a different time.

“Due to this new information, a second forensic interview will likely be conducted in the future to focus on any abuse that occurred on campus,” Zontini wrote.

In published reports, Walters’ defense attorney, Nathaniel Amendola, said he looks forward to proving his client’s innocence.

The Latham Centers provides residential programs and specialized services for people with complex special needs.

This story will be updated as warranted.