James N. Brown, J.D.
Detective - Retired

A few days ago, Fox News ran a story about teachers and sexual misconduct with their students. In the story, Fox News relied on an investigation conducted by the Associated Press (AP). The AP had competed a five-year survey of state disciplinary actions against teachers. The AP found that 2,570 teachers had been punished for sexual misconduct.

As I listened to the story, I had two thoughts. First, how unfortunate that such an honorable profession was made to seem so seedy considering the number of teachers disciplined represents only a fraction of the entire profession. Second, the story serves as a reminder that predators need a target-rich environment.

In earlier blogs, I discussed the different types of predators; abductor, situational, and preferential. I have also explained why predators need a group or pool of children. Regardless of the type of predator, they need to be around children in order to find their victim(s). However, the type of conduct will generally indicate which type of predator is involved.

My experience investigating and supervising these cases has led me to believe that most of the teachers who are involved in sexual misconduct with a student are situational predators. There are some exceptions to this observation, but most of the time the allegation in these cases involves only one student. It is not uncommon for the sexual misconduct to be described as a loving relationship. The most notorious example of this was the case of Mary Kay Letourneau. She was the teacher, also the mother of four children, who went to prison for her sexual conduct with a student. They had two children together and married after she was released from custody.

If the Letourneau case had involved multiple children, if there were indications of grooming, and if the allegations covered a long period of time, then she could have been considered a preferential predator. This was exactly the situation in 2005 when Sarah Bench-Salario was convicted of child molestation and sentenced to six years in prison. The Orange County case involved three different boys, ages 11-13. The molestations occurred over two years. Salario moved from boy to boy; discarding one and moving to the next. There was significant testimony by the boys regarding the grooming process.

Salario was a bit of a rarity; a female preferential predator. The case was brought to light when very observant parents recognized irregular behavior in their son. When he ultimately admitted what was happening, the parents sought help from the legal system. When the case was featured on the Oprah Show, an Orange County prosecutor acknowledged the bravery of the boy and his family to come forward with their allegations. The prosecutor continued by saying that Salario’s behavior would not have stopped if her crimes had not been reported.

These cases serve as reminders that predators need a target-rich environment. Predators will seek positions that allow them to be around children. Some of these positions are the most trusted in our society; teachers, coaches, law enforcement officers, volunteers, and members of the clergy. It is imperative that parents know their children so that when irregular or suspicious behavior occurs the parents take the appropriate actions to ensure their children’s safety.