Allen S. Pereira, a 59-year-old youth hockey coach in Massachusetts, is in some serious trouble with the law. According to the Dracut Police Department, Pereira was arrested on three felony counts of indecent assault and battery on a person age 14 or over for allegedly sexually assaulting a teen player for several years.
The victim was reportedly 14 years old at the time of the sexual assault.
Pereira coached street hockey at Breakaway Hockey Dek & Sports since 2011, according to WCVB.
“We were made aware of allegations and we took them seriously,” owner Casey Corcoran told the station in a statement. “We took quick corrective action. Other comments should be directed to an ongoing investigation.”
From the report:
The incidents occurred over the course of several years, starting when the victim was 14 years old and hockey player on a team coached by PEREIRA. The suspect is alleged to have inappropriately touched the victim and allegedly tried to coerce the victim into touching him and performing sexual acts on him.
Over the course of the past year alone, a handful of teachers and educators have been arrested on similar charges, including 25-year-old substitute teacher Alexis Mercedes Boberg in Baltimore, Beulah High School teacher Kelsie Schmidt in North Dakota, Rancocas Valley Regional High School teacher Alexandra Reiner in New Jersey, and 50-year-old Florida substitute teacher Angela Jean Stanton in Florida. Additionally, Texas teachers Meredith Null and Edna Longoria were arrested on similar charges.
As for why the number of these incidents has seemingly increased, studies suggest that smartphones are the primary reason for the spike in illicit relationships, as it allows teachers to communicate with the minors without supervision.
According to a report from the Texas Education Association, smartphones make easy for teachers to privately text and talk with students and also make it possible for teachers and students to share explicit images.
