Former Hartford school guidance counselor accused of sexually assaulting student

A former school guidance counselor at Weaver High School in Hartford is accused of sexually assaulting a student and has been charged.

Bryan Bass, 37, has been charged with two counts of sexual assault in the second degree and one count of sexual assault in the fourth degree, according to a warrant.

Bass’ attorney said his client denies the allegations.

“He’s very, very shocked by these allegations as is his family, his community,” said Izzy Feraizi, Bass’s defense attorney. “My client as a guidance counselor, as a social worker, he’s a very loving individual. He cares about his students.”

The arrest warrant says police responded to the school Bass worked for on June 6 to investigate a complaint and the principal told investigators that one of the student’s friends had reported that Bass groped her and forced her to perform oral sex several times.

The student Bass is accused of assaulting initially denied that any incidents occurred, according to the warrant.

In a written statement to the school, Bass denied the allegations and wrote, “I have had no type of inappropriate behavior with any student,” the arrest warrant states. 

When police spoke with the student later in June, she told investigators that Bass had sexually assaulted her in May four times. One incident was in Bloomfield and three incidents were in Bass’ office at school, according to the warrant.

Bass’ attorney said the allegations surfaced from friends of the complainant and she denied it, then changed her story once police got involved.

Hartford Public Schools said Bass was hired on Aug. 23, 2022, after a background check revealed no cause for concern.

They said they placed Bass on administrative leave in June after learning of allegations of inappropriate behavior, and they notified the state Department of Children and Families and the Hartford Police Department and began termination proceedings.

Bass’ attorney said his client resigned from his position after the allegations were made.

“Mr. Bass is a very religious man, he’s a man of God, so we have faith, once we get all the discovery, once we gather all the evidence, that justice will prevail in all of this. The truth will come out,” Feraizi, said.

The attorney representing the student released a statement.

"My client and her family appreciate the hard work and diligence of the Hartford and Bloomfield Police Departments in taking her allegations seriously and conducting a thorough investigation. We understand they may have reviewed surveillance video from the school that helped corroborate my client’s version of events, and look forward to learning more about what evidence they obtained that led to their detectives, a state’s attorney and a judge agreeing there was probable cause to arrest Mr. Bass," Nate Baber, attorney for the complainant, said in a statement.

Bass is due in court on Feb. 6, according to online court records.