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Another former Miss Hall’s School staffer indicted for alleged sexual assault

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Prosecutors say evidence shows Matthew Johnson worked at the school int he Berkshries for less than one year before being dismissed.

Melissa Fares and Hilary Simon, former students at Miss Hall’s School, accused a former teacher of sexual assaulting them. Jennifer S. Altman

A third former Miss Hall’s School staff member is facing criminal charges in connection with the sexual abuse scandal at the private Pittsfield girls’ school. 

Matthew Johnson, 70, of Connecticut, was indicted Thursday on a charge of assault with intent to rape and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over the age of 14, the Berkshire District Attorney’s office announced in a press release.

Johnson worked as a science teacher at Miss Hall’s from 1993 to 1994.

Prosecutors said evidence uncovered during the investigation into alleged abuse at Miss Hall’s showed that Johnson was dismissed in 1994, before the end of the school year.

Hilary Simon at her 2005 graduation with Matthew Rutledge, who is charged with three counts of rape related to the alleged sexual assault of two of his former students, including Simon. – Hilary S. Simon

The three charges against Johnson stem from his time at the school, according to the DA’s office.  

Earlier this year, former Miss Hall’s teacher Matthew Rutledge was indicted on three counts of rape, nearly two years after allegations emerged that he sexually assaulted teenage students.

Rutledge has pleaded not guilty. 

On Monday, Jeannie Norris, who served as Miss Hall’s head of school from 1996 to 2012, pleaded not guilty to a charge of reckless endangerment of a child. 

Prosecutors have accused Norris of knowing that Rutledge was engaging in inappropriate relationships with students and failing to act. Evidence gathered during the investigation into Rutledge’s alleged abuse showed that Norris received “numerous reports” about inappropriate conduct with students while she was leading the school, the DA’s office previously said. 

A date for Johnson’s arraignment in Berkshire Superior Court will be set in the future, officials said. 

Attorney information for Johnson was not immediately available Thursday night.

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