Family Sues Over Preschool Sex Abuse Allegations Involving Southport Man

December 2, 2016

By Fairfield Daily Voice.

WILTON, Conn. — The family of a second preschooler is suing the Town of Wilton and the Wilton Board of Education, charging that their son was sexually exploited by a former paraprofessional at Miller-Driscoll School.

The allegations from 2013-14 involve former Wilton preschool paraprofessional Eric Von Kohorn, 56, of Southport, according to the family's attorneys, Stamford’s law firm of Silver Golub & Teitell.

Von Kohorn, who had worked with preschoolers in Miller-Driscoll since 2007, was arrested by Connecticut State Police on Aug. 20, 2014, on charges of first-degree possession of child pornography and promoting a minor in an obscene performance. He is in prison after pleading guilty a year ago to second-degree possession of child pornography. He was sentenced a year ago to six years in prison, suspended after two years in the plea deal.

The second family is represented by Paul Slager and Michael Kennedy of Stamford’s Silver Golub & Teitell, the same attorneys who represent a girl whose parents also sued the Town of Wilton and the Wilton Board of Education, alleging she was sexually assaulted by Von Kohorn in a Miller-Driscoll bathroom.

The new lawsuit alleges that Von Kohorn took the male student alone into a school bathroom and photographed him in the stall while the child’s pants were down.

The family is unaware what Von Kohorn did with the images and whether the images were distributed, according to the lawsuit, which is distressing for the family.

The second lawsuit says that in January 2013, the girl's parents told the Wilton Board of Education that she had been sexually assaulted by Von Kohorn in a school bathroom. The parents had noticed visible injuries to her genital area, the lawsuit said.

Von Kohorn initially denied taking the girl – who was fully toilet-trained – alone into the bathroom, but in a second interview admitted he had lied, the lawsuit said.

Miller-Driscoll’s director, Dr. Fred Rapczynski, notified the Human Resources Department and the Department of Child and Family Services, but said his investigation “did not support the girl’s claims,” the lawsuit said.

DCF conducted its own investigation, but the Board of Education performed no further investigation and did not discipline, suspend or reprimand Von Kohorn, the lawsuit said.

The Board of Education placed Von Kohorn into another Miller-Driscoll classroom, where he worked directly with preschool students, including the male student in the current case, the lawsuit said.

After he began working in the boy’s classroom, the lawsuit said, Von Kohorn took the boy alone to the bathroom, where he photographed him with his pants down.

The plaintiff does not specify the amount of damages sought in the lawsuit.

“The allegations in the lawsuit speak for themselves,” said Slager. He declined further comment due to the sensitive nature of the case.