Hartford Teacher Faces Charges of Sexually Assaulting Student

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Enfield, New Hampshire Police Department

A Hartford teacher in New Hampshire for the Thanksgiving holiday was taken into custody in connection with an alleged sexual assault of a student that took place in Bloomfield, according to Bloomfield police.

The Department of Children and Families contacted Bloomfield police back on Sept. 20 about a report of a teacher and a student from the Hartford School District having sex.

After an investigation, police sought an arrest warrant for 30-year-old Patrick Dodds, of Bloomfield. The warrant was issued on November 27.

Bloomfield police learned Dodds was in New Hampshire for the holiday and contacted police there. Dodds was taken into custody on fugitive charges.

According to police, Dodds waived his extradition rights and will be brought back to Connecticut on Wednesday. He faces charges of second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury or impairing the morals of a minor.

On Monday night, the school where Dodds used to work released a statement about the incident.

“We care deeply about the safety and well-being of all students in our schools and these allegations are extremely upsetting. This individual no longer works for Achievement First. Immediately after the police investigation began, we launched an independent internal investigation, which was conducted by an outside party," an Achievement First Spokesperson said in a statement. 

"At the end of that investigation, and consistent with our policies, we took appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination," the statement continued.

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