A New Haven school resource officer has been suspended and reassigned after he was accused of making inappropriate comments to a student and inviting her to his house for a full-body massage, according to paperwork on the internal affairs case.
The document from New Haven police says they received a complaint on Jan. 8 about a Officer Jeremie Elliott, the school resource officer at the New Horizons School, a school for students with special educational needs or behavioral problems.
The 18-year-old student told police that Officer Elliot stood too close to her in a classroom in December while she and a friend were on Facebook; looked at her page; then showed up at her workplace that night, where he gave her a hug and kiss and offered to take her to his home after her shift and give her a full-body massage, according to the internal affairs report.
She refused to go and he continued to contact her through social media that night and days later, she told police.
During one exchange, Elliott told the teen not to tell anyone what he had asked her because he could “get into trouble,” according to the internal affairs report.
The teen told investigators that she was “creeped out” and didn’t feel safe around someone she was supposed to feel safe with.
The report says police had received several complaints from school officials about Elliott, who was accused of sending sexually inappropriate content to staff members, being overly aggressive and inappropriate with staff and making sexual advances.
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When Elliott spoke with police, he said he went to the teen’s workplace and they spoke, but he couldn’t recall what they talked about. He also denied offering her a ride home or a massage. He did admit he might have hugged the girl and said he regularly hugs students at school, but denied kissing her, the report states.
The officer also said he communicates with students through Facebook messenger to build a rapport and communicate information about school policy and the military.
When questioned about making advances toward female staff members, he said he compliments them, but didn’t remember asking anyone on a date or sending sexually inappropriate content.
When investigators searched the school resource officer’s computer, they found almost daily visits to Facebook in which he searched for or communicated with young females, according to the internal affairs report.
