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A former teacher at an all-girls boarding school in Massachusetts has been charged after he was accused of raping two of his students.
Matthew Rutledge was indicted by a grand jury after two of his former Miss Hall’s School students, Hilary Simon and Melissa Fares, testified against him.
Rutledge, 64, was charged nearly two years after Simon, 39, and Fares, 33, first came forward with sexual abuse allegations against him, according to NBC News.
At the time the victims first came forward, the DA’s office declined to charge Rutledge with a crime because the accusers were 16 when the alleged incidents took place. The age of consent in Massachusetts is 16, while the state law does not criminalize sexual relations between teachers and students regardless of how old those involved are.
“They have waited far too long for justice and, while I recognize our office took time to develop a path forward, I hope it is evident that I remained committed to holding the Defendant accountable for his crimes,” Berkshire District Attorney Timothy Shugrue said in a statement on Tuesday, March 24, per the outlet.
Additionally, the DA’s office said they are in the process of sending Rutledge a formal summons. Once that is complete, he will be given an arraignment date by the Berkshire Superior Court.
“We stand with the Survivors whose courage and determination played an indispensable role in this outcome, and we are grateful they will finally have the opportunity to seek justice in the criminal case against Matt Rutledge,” Miss Hall’s School said in a statement.
Chief operating officer at the DA’s office, Julia Sabourin, confirmed that Rutledge has been charged with two counts of rape against Fares and one count of rape against Simon.
It is not currently clear if Rutledge has entered a plea or retained legal representation in light of the charges.
Fares was allegedly abused by Rutledge from 2007 to 2010 and Simon was allegedly abused from 2001 to 2005. They were both students at the school during the time of the alleged abuse.
Both Fares and Simon testified before the grand jury on March 24, per NBC News.
“There were too many moments where it felt like it might not go anywhere,” Fares said, explaining she was relieved that Rutledge was charged. “So I held onto hope, but also protected myself from expecting it … That’s part of what makes this moment feel so significant.”
Simon also said that she feared Rutledge wouldn’t be held accountable for the alleged assaults.
“What I do know is that Melissa and I were clear from Day 1 that there was never any consent,” she said. “We never wavered on that. Not once. And I think that consistency, that refusal to let anyone reframe what happened to us, is part of what kept this case alive.”
Rutledge previously worked at Miss Hall’s School as a history teacher, coach, adviser and department chair.
However, he resigned in April 2024 after Fares reported him to the school administration for allegedly sexually abusing and exploiting her.
Soon after, Simon came forward with her own accusations against Rutledge.
The local DA, the Pittsfield Police Department and the state Department of Children and Families then all launched investigations into the allegations against Rutledge.
Rumors about the allegations eventually made their way to social media, and Miss Hall’s School hired a law firm to investigate the claims.
The report found that Rutledge had been reported for inappropriate behavior to school leadership multiple times over the years and determined that the school failed to act on the report, per NBC News. The report also found that Rutledge abused five girls over a 20-year span.
The DA’s office has not shared any additional details about the evidence in the case, though they said that the investigation into Rutledge and “any suspected criminal conduct of other staff members at Miss Hall’s School” remains ongoing.
Miss Hall’s School is a prestigious establishment with notable alumni that includes dancer Jean Erdman, Simon’s Rock founder Elizabeth Blodgett Hall, Countess Xenia Czernichev-Besobrasov, activist Elisabeth Gilman and actress Jane Lowry.
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