NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A Rhode Island middle school teacher arrested after the first day of classes was arraigned Tuesday on multiple sexual assault charges involving a juvenile, authorities said.
Matthew Moniz, 52, a teacher at Ricci Middle School in North Providence, was held without bail during a virtual arraignment in Providence Superior Court. Not guilty pleas were entered on his behalf.
No defense attorney was listed in online court records.
The charges against him are not related to his job as a teacher, North Providence Schools Superintendent Joseph Goho said in a letter to the school community. The alleged victim is not associated with a school, according to prosecutors.
Moniz, of Barrington, was listed on the school’s website as a mechatronics teacher, an interdisciplianry engineering field.
The alleged crimes occurred in East Providence some time between February 1, 2019, and June 30, 2019, authorities said.
The school has placed Moniz on leave.
A grand jury returned the indictment on Sept. 9. Moniz was arrested Monday after classes.
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