Former Wheatland-Chili substitute teacher charged

Scottsville, NY (WHAM) — A former substitute teacher in the Wheatland-Chili Central School District is facing charges after allegedly groping three elementary school students.

Background: Wheatland-Chili substitute teacher accused of inappropriately touching three students

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office announced Friday the arrest of Robert Petit, 40, of Chili, a former substitute teacher who now faces 11 counts of first-degree sexual abuse and six counts of charge of endangering the welfare of a child. Petit is being held in the Monroe County Jail on $500,000 cash bail.

MCSO said the investigation began after a tip from the school district on March 3, 2023.

Investigators were led to three elementary school students who accused the substitute teacher of touching them inappropriately.

Deputy Chief Michael Fowler said the touching took place at the school, during school hours, and although the touching involved clothing, it was inappropriate.

After two weeks of extensive investigation and collaboration with the Bivona Child Advocacy Center and the Monroe County Prosecutor's Office, the case was sent to a grand jury on March 17, 2023.

According to the sheriff's office, grand jury laws are such that the agency was legally barred from sharing information about the case with the public.

This Wednesday, more than 14 months after the initial report, Fowler said the sheriff's office became aware of an indictment warrant issued by the grand jury. Petit was arrested that day and remains in the custody of the sheriff.

Still, Fowler said Sheriff Todd Baxter believes the more than 12-month delay in the process of notifying the public of these types of crimes is unacceptable.

“We have to work within the system, and we look at it and try to do what we can,” Fowler said. “We have seen a shift in the past few years in how law enforcement handles significant criminal cases, particularly since the reform of New York State's discovery laws. More complex criminal cases like these are very difficult deadlines to meet. Difficult deadlines for people to be prepared for trial; that's really what we're dealing with. prosecutor to present them to the grand jury, instead of making an arrest and properly starting this unrealistic timeline away.”

Fowler said MCSO is working on a tracking mechanism to help expedite these types of cases in hopes of making public safety announcements sooner.

“It’s very unfortunate,” Fowler said. “We certainly feel your frustration. We share your frustration. We wish there was a better way to get this message across in a quicker format. We're looking into that right now. We're trying everything we can. We” “If we're doing a self-assessment on our end, we're talking with the DA's office. We're talking with other law enforcement partners. None of us think that's acceptable.”

In a statement, the Monroe County District Attorney's Office said:

Child sexual abuse cases are difficult in many ways. Due to the dynamics of child sexual abuse, these are not rapid investigations or prosecutions. Our office uses the child-centered method to handle all cases, making sure to put victims first. Our policy is not to rush or push a victim of child sexual abuse to testify before they are emotionally and mentally ready. The next court date for Robert Petit is August 15, 2024, at 9:30 a.m., before Supreme Court Justice Judith A. Sinclair.

The Wheatland-Chili Central School District said Petit was relieved of his duties after 11 days on the job with the district after learning of the allegations against him. A district spokesperson said:

The district was just contacted by the Monroe County Sheriff's Department informing us that a former substitute teacher who was employed by the district for 11 days during the 2022-2023 school year was arrested as a result of an investigation by the sheriff's department. The District initiated this investigation in March 2023 when it became aware of allegations against the individual. Once the district became aware of the allegations, the individual was relieved of his duties with the district. The District will cooperate to the fullest extent possible in any investigation and subsequent proceedings in this matter. Our primary concern is always the health, safety and well-being of our students.

Petit had also been briefly employed by Monroe's Arc, which works with children with special needs. A spokesperson for that organization would not comment on personnel matters, but said that in hiring Petit, the company followed all regulations of the New York Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. The full statement reads:

Although Monroe Arc followed all Office for People with Developmental Disabilities regulations in hiring Robert Petit, who was employed by us for a short time, it is against the policy of the company to discuss personnel matters. We will not comment further on this subject.

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