West Bloomfield Teacher Acquitted In Teen Sex Assault Case
WEST BLOOMFIELD (WWJ) - A West Bloomfield High School teacher has been cleared of charges that he sexually assaulted a female student.
The 16-year-old 10th grader accused Stephen Larkin of assaulting her during an after-school tutoring session last May, but a jury on Friday acquitted him of all counts.
"People are innocent until proven guilty," District Superintendent Gerald Hill told WWJ Newsradio 950. "Mr. Larkin was found not guilty on all counts. That process went through its entirety,"
Hill says Larkin has been on paid leave and will be welcomed back to the district.
"One of the challenges that are now before us is reintroducing Mr. Larkin to his teaching role with just a few weeks of school left — about a month of school left," Hill said. "So we'll be meeting next week and in the coming days to determine the best way to move forward."
"Being accused, in some people's minds, is difficult," Hill said. "And then the process talking so long ... It's part of our legal system, so, I think people will respect that, understand that, and he will be welcome to fulfill his teaching duties again."
Hill declined to say whether the student who accused Larkin is still at the school.
Larkin is a girls' golf coach, History and Social Science teacher. He's been with the district since 2006.
