Sexual assault charges brought against a former Westerly High School employee mark the first time a new law was used in Rhode Island.
Sean Tormey was indicted and charged Tuesday for allegedly having sexual contact with a female student.
The NBC 10 I-Team first reported news of the allegations in March. Within days, Tormey was no longer employed by the district.
Tormey, 39, was charged with three counts of third-degree sexual assault on a person between the ages of 14 and 18.
Had the allegations been a year ago instead of now, he may not have been charged with a crime.
“It was a loophole,” says Rhode Island Sen. Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz.
About five years ago, de la Cruz said she noticed something missing in Rhode Island's sexual assault laws.
“I just couldn't believe it,” she told NBC 10 News.
De la Cruz said it wasn't illegal for an adult to have sexual contact with a teenager over the age of 14, or to have sex with a teen over the age of 16, if it was deemed consensual.
“We know that children can't consent to that kind of consensual relationships,” she says.
De la Cruz specifically thought of teachers and coaches, and relationships with students.
“It was being a mom. I have three kids. They're very young, and I thought, if they're ever in a situation, it just, as a mom, I think of other kids as well, and it scares me," de la Cruz said.
She led the effort to change the...
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