Two male high school educators have been taken into custody for suspected sexual misconduct, while the principal and superintendent of the school have been placed on administrative leave in light of the school’s handling of the investigation, as stated in a press release from the St. Helens School District.
On Tuesday, Nov. 12, Eric Stearns and Mark Collins were taken into custody on charges of sexual abuse. On Thursday, Nov. 14, and Friday, Nov. 15, the school board placed Principal Dr. Katy Wagner and Superintendent Scot Stockwell on administrative leave.
Stearns, aged 46, serves as a choir instructor at St. Helens High School, while Collins, who is 64, was a math educator at the same institution prior to his retirement. The arrests followed a two-month investigation into Stearns by St. Helens police chief Joseph Hogue.
Hogue was alerted to a TikTok video suggesting Stearns’ misconduct. Officials subsequently spoke with individuals connected to or who had made remarks about the video. Collins’ name surfaced during the inquiry.
On Wednesday, Nov. 13, Stearns entered a not guilty plea regarding the seven allegations of sexual abuse involving six students, spanning from 2015 to January 2024, as detailed in court documents, KATU 2 reports. Stearns has been granted bail, with the amount established at $150,000.
On the following day, Collins faced charges related to inappropriate conduct with minors at school from 2017 to 2023, including two counts of sexual abuse in the second degree and one count of attempted sexual abuse in the second degree.
Collins has been granted release with the stipulation that he refrain from any interaction with minors or locations where they gather. Collins is also prohibited from reaching out to the minors associated with the case.
Following the arrests, Chief Hogue stated, “Much of the information that [police] got from victims in this case was that the victims had reported some of this information to the school district, and in many cases, they found that there were records of that.”
Numerous students and parents expressed that the school had been aware of the investigation for months, yet Stearns was still allowed to continue teaching. Following the first arrests, a meeting was convened by the school board on Nov. 13, during which numerous individuals expressed their dissent against the board.
At the meeting on Wednesday, the school board confirmed their awareness of the ongoing police investigation involving Stearns. KGW8 reports that the school board and officials have overlooked the allegations made by students and parents over time.
The school announced on Thursday that classes would be suspended for both Thursday and Friday. On both days, there were demonstrations from students and parents against the school.
On Friday afternoon, the district revealed that Wagner had been placed on paid administrative leave. It has been officially stated that Ryan Scholl has stepped down from his position as Board Chair, with Trinity Monahan set to take on the role of Vice Chair.
On Friday evening, the board convened for an extra virtual meeting and decided to place Superintendent Stockwell on paid administrative leave.