Cape teacher accused of raping student at school for disabilities indicted on several charges

BREWSTER, Mass — A Cape Cod vocational teacher accused of sexually assaulting one of his students at a residential school for people with disabilities was indicted on several charges Friday.

Fredrick Walters, a teacher at Brewster’s Latham Centers, was indicted on two counts of aggravated rape, four counts of rape, six counts of indecent assault on an individual with an intellectual disability and one count of intimidation of a witness after allegedly telling staff members that he would be taking a student to an off-campus bookstore on October 9 before instead taking her back to his home and allegedly sexually assaulting her.

The student disclosed to investigators that Walters had also raped her on two previous occasions at the Latham Centers, according to the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office.

Courtney Scalise, Chief of the Cape & Islands’ Vulnerable Adults Abuse Unit, is scheduled to prosecute the case in Barnstable Superior Court.

Walters was arraigned in Orleans district court on Wednesday, November 29 on rape, indecent assault, and battery on a disabled person, and witness intimidation charges. He pleaded not guilty and was released on a $5,000 cash bail with a GPS monitoring device, according to court records.

Latham Centers provides special education and therapeutic services for children and adults with disabilities and specializes in working with individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome. Prader-Willi syndrome is a genetic disorder that causes developmental delays and mild cognitive impairment, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Latham Centers spokesperson Karen Schwartzman previously told Boston 25 Walters had worked at the school for 17 years and was well-regarded by his peers.

She wrote, “Our highest priority is to keep our students safe and our staff works tirelessly to ensure that no student in our care is ever at risk. That any person, while employed at Latham, could have acted toward a member of our community in such a way as to be criminally charged is an offense not only to the student he put in jeopardy but to every member of our staff.”

Walter’s attorney, Nathan Amendola told investigative reporter Ted Daniel that the teacher is “innocent” and looks forward to proving that.

Walters will be arraigned at a later date.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2023 Cox Media Group