Teachers arrested for sexual abuse

From Eyewitness News:

A 38-year-old Queens public school teacher has been charged with sexually abusing five of his female students.

Simon Watts was employed as a fourth-grade teacher at PS 15 (The Jackie Robinson School). Prosectuors say the victims range in age from 8 to 10 and the incidents happened over the last three years. Watts is the second Queens teacher arrested in the last week.

Watts was arraigned Wednesday in Queens Criminal Court on charges of second-degree course of sexual conduct against a child, first-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child. Watts, who faces up to seven years in prison if convicted, was ordered held on $200,000 bail and to return to court on May 3, 2010.

In the second case, Brown says 41-year-old Christine Williams is charged with third-degree rape, third-degree criminal sexual act and endangering the welfare of a child. Williams, who is employed as a fifth grade special ed teacher at P.S. 80 (the Thurgood Marshall Magnet School), was released on her own recognizance and ordered to return to court on May 10, 2010. If convicted, she faces up to four years in prison.

According to the criminal charges, Williams engaged in sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old male student at her residence on at least two separate nights between January 29, 2010, and February 5, 2010. The student was allegedly a friend of the family.