Police: Man fondled student during class

MONROE COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) - A former Bloomington tutor faces charges of child molestation after a seven year old said he touched her inappropriately at school.

Officials say a seven-year-old female student reported that while watching a movie at school in October, Benjamin S. Haile fondled her as she sat on his lap during the movie. Haile reportedly put his hands into her pants and down her shirt. Court documents also reveal the girl told investigators he “had taken her hands and forced her to rub his ‘boy part. ’”

The alleged incident happened at Pinnacle School in Bloomington. The school is a small non-profit for kids with dyslexia, ADD, and ADHD.

19-year-old Haile worked part-time at the school as a tutor and small-group instructor.

Haile was questioned days later about the incident, and at first denied he had touched the girl inappropriately, but then told investigators it was an accident.

Pinnacle School administrators were notified of the investigation into Haile right away. They say they put him on leave immediately, then terminated his employment.

“Once we were aware there was an investigation, he was relieved of his duties within the week,” said Denise Lessow, Executive Director of the Pinnacle School. “It was a single isolated occurrence. ”

Lessow describes Haile as an excellent student.

“He had been a former student here, had graduated from high school, and had done very well with pursuing a college degree at Ivy Tech,” she said. “[He was] doing the work with us on a part time basis. ”

School administrators said they followed protocol when handling the situation.

“Student safety is of paramount concern,” Lessow added. “We take all actions necessary to make sure they're safe guarded and protected. ”

Lessow said they hadn't notified parents because they were strictly told not to, because of the ongoing investigation. 19-year-old Haile faces two charges of child molestation.