After-school care program plans protocols after Naples sex assault report

The after-school care company that hired a man since accused of molesting a girl in a Naples school bathroom said it plans to set up new protocols in light of the alleged sexual assault.

Austin Hunter, 18, a counselor working for After School Programs, a company contracted by several Collier County schools, was arrested last week on suspicion of luring a child into a bathroom stall at Mason Classical Academy, exposing himself and sexually assaulting her.

Hunter faces charges of lewd and lascivious molestation of a person younger than 12, lewd and lascivious exhibition, and sexual battery.

More:Man, 18, accused of molesting girl, 6, at Naples school; more details released

More:Sexual assault on minor reported at Mason Classical Academy in Naples

Robert Liebman, director of operations of After School Programs, said in an email Tuesday that one of the company's new protocols will bar staff members from entering bathrooms of the opposite sex.

"We are also setting up awareness training for our staff to look for tell-tale signs for possible offenders," Liebman said in the email.

According to a Naples Police Department arrest report, Hunter lured a 6-year-old girl into a bathroom and locked them both in a large stall. Hunter exposed himself and touched the girl in a sexual manner, the report states.

Security camera video from inside the school shows Hunter and the girl were in the bathroom for 11 minutes, the report states. Two other students looking for the girl found her in the bathroom and called another counselor, police said.

The video shows Hunter “adjusting his crotch area” when he left the bathroom, walking to the end of a hallway, looking back at the girl and raising a finger to his mouth as though telling the girl to keep quiet, the report states.

Officials said Hunter made a full confession at the police station.

Hunter’s bail was set at $600,000 on all the charges. His attorney filed a motion to reduce the amount, saying Hunter did not pose a danger to the community and that he is not a flight risk. The motion cites a section of the Florida constitution that states a person charged with a crime is entitled to pretrial release under reasonable conditions unless charged with a capital offense or an offense punishable by life imprisonment.

An email requesting comment from Hunter’s attorney was not returned by Tuesday afternoon.

After School Programs said in a statement that Hunter passed all of the company’s background checks when he was hired. The company adheres to hiring and screening requirements of the state Department of Children and Families and the Collier County public school district, according to the statement.

DCF conducted a search of the Florida Automated Child Welfare Information System and found no history of Hunter abusing a child, according to After School Programs.

The school district determined Hunter met the standards to clear Florida Department of Law Enforcement and FBI background screenings, according to the company.

School district spokesman Greg Turchetta confirmed the district cleared Hunter for employment.

"There was no indication during the employee's employment by ASP of any inappropriate conduct," the company said in the statement.

Hunter had been employed by After School Programs for about six months. Liebman, the ASP operations director, said all employees must take a 40-hour child-care course and early learning training modules. The DCF website states the course covers such topics as health, safety, nutrition, identifying abuse and neglect, and behavioral screening.

The company did not return an email Tuesday afternoon asking what previous work or volunteer experience Hunter had that indicated he was qualified to work with children.

The district has contracted with After School Programs for more than 10 years, according to Turchetta. The company provides after-school care services for six elementary schools in the Collier school district — Golden Terrace, Palmetto, Lake Park, Mike Davis, Shadowlawn and Tommie Barfield.

Turchetta said in an email that the district reported the alleged incident to DCF for investigation.

"We are not canceling the ASP agreement/contract at this time," Turchetta said.

Mason Classical Academy canceled its contract with After School Programs after the alleged incident.

School principal David Hull said last week that the school operated as a facility for After School Programs to conduct its programs. Parents of Mason students contracted with the company for after-school care services, “and neither the school itself nor any of its employees had anything to do with services provided by ASP,” Hull said.

Parents have asked on social media how the alleged incident could have happened.

Hunter, of Naples, has no history of other arrests as an adult in Collier County. Based on the background checks to which After School Programs and the school district said he was subjected, Hunter had no previous criminal history at all.

“These are rare incidents, but one incident is too many,” Naples police Lt. Seth Finman said.

Finman said he could not speak about After School Programs’ or the school district’s background checks and processes. He gave the example of how the Naples Police Department handles its hiring and internal affairs processes.

“We have an extensive background investigation process, and even with that process, when we hire an individual at the Police Department, they’re on one-year probation and we monitor them through a three-month field training program,” Finman said.

“We make sure they’re competent and have up to one year to let them go if they can’t cut it.”

Finman, who supervises the department’s professional standards division, said the way that process can transfer to the private sector is with regular evaluations that determine whether an employee’s performance is acceptable.

When something goes wrong, “that’s when you rely on your process — your background checks, investigative processes, internal processes,” Finman said.

“The parents are upset that something happened, with reason, and want to know why,” he said. “Bottom line is this negatively affects everyone involved. How the situation is handled determines how all the shareholders will move on.”