In Friendship School, Accuser Has Long Criminal History

On Tuesday, Patch confirmed that Amadeus Harris is the former East Lyme Middle School student who is accusing Friendship School Assistant Director Allison Robinson of second-degree sexual assault. Harris was 13 at the time, and in the 10 or 11 years since, has compiled a long list of arrests and convictions.

Harris was convicted of breach of peace in 2005, and sentenced to six months in jail. This past January, he was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Four other charges are pending, stemming from a Jan. 3 incident in which he allegedly assaulted a woman, threw her to the ground and pointed a shotgun at her face, according to Montville Police. He was charged with with third-degree assault/injury or intent to cause injury to a minor, reckless endangerment in the first degree, with intimation intended, threatening, and first-degree unlawful restraint.

Harris is currently incarcerated at the Corrigan Correctional Center in Montville. Harris made accusations against Robinson in jail through his lawyer, Thomas Simones of Waterford, earlier this year.

Harris’ Complaint

Harris was a 13-year-old East Lyme Middle School student in the winter and spring of the 2000-2001 school year. There, he was part of an anger management group led by Allison Hotte, now Allison Robinson, the school’s psychologist.

In the group, Harris began flirting with Robinson, he said. That lead to consensual sex in Robinson’s office, at a Niantic house she shared with another teacher and in two state parks, Harris said. Robinson also bought alcohol and nitrous oxide for him, Harris said.

Robinson also preformed oral sex on Harris while he was driving her car, with two other people in the car, Harris said.

One woman told police she hired Robinson to watch her daughter and her house while she was away. When the woman returned, she saw evidence of a party, according to her testimony to police.

The woman’s daughter told police there was a party at the house, and at the party Robinson had sex with Harris.

Former classmates of Harris told investigators that Robinson allowed Harris to drive her car, according to court records. Robinson would also drop beer off for the students, and then take them out to eat after they had been drinking, but would never drink with the students, according to the report.

Robinson’s Retort

In a March interview with police, Robinson denied all allegations aside from buying alcohol for Harris one time. They had sex one time, in the summer of 2001 in Giants Neck in Niantic, when Harris raped her, she said.

Robinson said she did allow Harris to drive her car once (Harris was too young to have a license) and bought him alcohol because she felt threatened by him. Robinson said she did not document any of these threats, but did tell the school’s assistant principal, Stephen Buck, and Dave Costa, a guidance counselor at the school.

Buck said he did not recall Robinson reporting trouble with any student, but that he felt any female employee could have found the student intimidating. Costa said he remembered the student due to his personality but did not remember Robinson reporting any problems.

Paul Freeman, a former assistant principal at the school, and Jerome Belair, the former principal at the school and current Waterford superintendent, also remembered the student but did not remember any reported problems from Robinson. Freeman said any such problems should have been documented and action would have been taken to change counseling.

Robinson’s files about Harris were uncovered and there was no documentation of any threats or inappropriate behavior, according to a report by Connecticut State Police Detective Joseph Masson.

Robinson is a certified school psychologist and a certified intermediate instructor. She resigned from East Lyme Middle School in June 2001 to take a similar position in the Groton school system.

Robinson’s Lawyer’s Take

Robinson is being represented by Norman Pattis, a Bethany defense attorney.

“(Harris’s complaint) reads like a bad adolescent version of ‘Hot for Teacher,' ” Pattis said. “I’m very excited to cross-examine this kid.”

Robinson is still on unpaid administrative leave from the Friendship School.

At her court appearance before Judge Kevin McMahon, Pattis introduced a sealed protective order. Robinson will make her next court appearance in New London Superior Court on May 2.

Montville Editor Carrie Jacobson contributed to this report.