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A Culture of Silence: Buffalo Public Schools' Troubling History of Sexual Abuse Allegations
April 29, 2025
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BUFFALO N.Y. -- Buffalo Public Schools (BPS) is facing renewed scrutiny as allegations of sexual abuse by educators and administrators continue to surface, revealing a disturbing pattern of inaction, secrecy, and legal settlements. What was once whispered among victims has now erupted into public awareness, with lawsuits, court documents, and survivor testimony laying bare systemic failures to protect students.

Below is a comprehensive review of known cases, settlements, and allegations tied to current and former BPS employees. These cases, many settled quietly through the Child Victims Act or other legal channels, suggest that institutional negligence—not isolated misconduct—is at the heart of this crisis.


1. Frederick D. Ganter – Former Principal, Lafayette High School
Allegations: Accused of sexually abusing a 16-17-year-old male student in the late 1980s, including in his school office.
Resolution: Lawsuit filed under the Child Victims Act in 2020. Ganter denied knowledge of the student and declined to comment further.

2. Gregory Johnson – Principal, School #54
Allegations: Accused of sexually abusing a 9-year-old female student multiple times between November 2022 and May 2023, including on a school field trip.
Resolution: Placed on paid administrative leave; no further action or district transparency as of publication.

3. Mary Boblak – Former Teacher
Allegations: Named in multiple lawsuits alleging inappropriate sexual behavior with students during her tenure.
Resolution: Details of legal outcomes remain undisclosed.

4. Elmer Hinterberger – Physical Education Teacher, P.S. 56
Allegations: Accused of molesting several boys aged 12 to 15 in the 1970s.
Resolution: Three lawsuits were settled in August 2022. Hinterberger died in 2008.

5. Robert Sewast – Science Instructor, Emerson Vocational High School
Allegations: Allegedly molested a 14-year-old student multiple times per week starting in 1980.
Resolution: Settled in November 2022 for $80,000.

6. Frederick Speidel – Assistant Principal, P.S. 29
Allegations: Accused of molesting a 13-year-old girl in 1970.
Resolution: Case settled for $90,000.

7. Unnamed Swahili Teacher, Frederick Law Olmsted School #156
Allegations: Rape alleged by a former student at the teacher’s home in 1977.
Resolution: Case settled for $90,000.

8. Mr. Wyatt – Physical Education Teacher, P.S. 74 Hamlin Park School
Allegations: Accused of molesting a 5-year-old girl in 1963.
Resolution: Settled for $75,000.

9. Edward Harling – Physical Education Teacher, P.S. 8
Allegations: A woman alleged weekly sexual abuse during gym class between 1964 and 1966.
Resolution: Settled for $90,000.


In nearly every case, the district placed the accused on administrative leave (often paid), and refused to release details publicly. Many victims came forward only decades later, aided by the temporary legal window opened by the Child Victims Act. Settlements often included nondisclosure agreements, and the district rarely acknowledged wrongdoing.

Despite millions paid out and over a dozen victims stepping forward, Buffalo Public Schools has avoided meaningful policy reform or public reckoning. The district’s silence continues to fuel criticism from survivor advocates, police whistleblowers, and investigative journalists.

The lawsuit against Frederick D. Ganter, former principal of Lafayette High School, is currently ongoing. Filed under New York's Child Victims Act, the case alleges that Ganter sexually abused a student during the 1989–1990 school year, when the plaintiff was a 16- and 17-year-old sophomore. The abuse reportedly occurred on school grounds, including in Ganter's office. As of now, there has been no public settlement or court ruling in this case.


Frederick D. Ganter, former principal, accused of sexually abusing a student during the 1989–1990 school year, when the plaintiff was a 16- and 17-year-old sophomore.

 

Ganter, who served as principal from the early 1970s to the mid-1990s, has denied the allegations, stating he did not recognize the name of the former student and declined to comment further. ​

The case remains active in Erie County Supreme Court, with motions and legal proceedings continuing. Given the legal complexities and the nature of the allegations, it may take time before a resolution is reached.

 


In 2018 the Nichols School, a private college prepatory school was subject of an independant investigation that found at least 10 teachers inapproriately involved with students of the Buffalo school district.
https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/nichols-public-report/85767208

Buffalo Public Schools (BPS) is facing a growing crisis of sexual abuse allegations, which underscores the urgent need for comprehensive reform. To break the cycle of neglect and secrecy, several critical changes are needed within the district.

First, transparency and accountability must be prioritized. BPS should be required to publicly report all abuse cases, investigations, and settlements, ensuring that the public has insight into how these cases are handled. Independent oversight bodies could ensure investigations are unbiased and thorough, building public trust. Along with this, school staff should undergo mandatory training on identifying and reporting abuse, with clear, accessible reporting mechanisms for students and parents.

A victim-centered approach is also crucial. Survivors need access to counseling, legal support, and opportunities for restorative justice, where they can share their experiences and influence policy changes. Additionally, non-disclosure agreements in settlements should be banned, as they often protect perpetrators and shield the district from accountability.


Buffalo Public School Principle Gregory Johnson, on administrative leave, after accusations of physical assault and sexual abuse of a 9-year-old female student multiple times between November 2022 and May 2023, including on a school field trip surfaced.

 

Finally, cultural and legal reforms are essential to shifting the focus back to student welfare. Advocating for stronger state-level legislation and extending the Child Victims Act would empower survivors to seek justice, even years after the abuse occurred. The district must foster a culture where abuse is not tolerated, and the safety of students is the top priority, not the reputation of the institution.

Buffalo Public Schools has a moral and legal obligation to its students. These cases reveal more than negligence—they suggest complicity through willful inaction. Until BPS reckons publicly with its past and commits to transparent, survivor-centered policies, its students remain at risk.

This article will continue to be updated as further cases, documents, or FOIL responses become available.

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Name: Ricky Hans Pierce, 56
Address: 522 Emerson St, Watertown, NY
Charges:
Criminal Mischief in the 3rd Degree (Class E Felony)** – On May 29 at approximately 1:30 a.m., Pierce allegedly damaged property valued at \$1,379.75 at Aminomax LLC, 810 Waterman Dr, including forced entry into bait boxes, a mailbox, and a laboratory drop box.
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Police Blotter - Jefferson County 6/4/25

Watertown City Police Department – Daily Arrest Log
Date: June 4, 2025

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Jefferson County Police Blotter 7/11/26

Good morning! Here's a concise and professional police blotter summary based on the arrest reports you provided:


WATERTOWN POLICE BLOTTER

July 11, 2025

LAWRENCE, Justin Michael, 27, of Hermon, NY, was arrested July 1 at 9:40 p.m. at 150 Court St. and charged with petit larceny. Lawrence allegedly stole a red box from a parked vehicle without the owner’s consent. He was issued an appearance ticket for Watertown City Court on July 22.

MATTHEWS, Kyle Michael, 31, homeless, was arrested July 3 at 9:29 a.m. at 430 Factory St. and charged with petit larceny. Police say Matthews attempted to conceal a bottle of Fireball whiskey in his waistband and leave a 7-Eleven store without paying. He was released with a ticket to appear in court on July 23.

MONTOYA, Anthony Michael, 33, homeless, was arrested July 2 at 3:12 p.m. at 1708 Ohio St. and charged with criminal contempt, second degree. Montoya allegedly violated a court-issued order of protection by contacting the protected party via text message. He was held for arraignment.

DIXON, Michael Todd, 32, of 336 W. Main St., Watertown, was charged with second-degree harassment after allegedly striking and kicking a man in a parking lot on June 21. He was released with an appearance ticket.

HOWARD, Charles William Jr., 57, of 140 N. Meadow St., Watertown, was arrested July 8 and charged with making a terroristic threat, a class D felony. Howard allegedly threatened to blow up his home by hanging a suitcase out a window and claiming it contained explosives.

WATTS-CHAINEY, Brianna Marie, 37, homeless, was arrested July 8 at 10:00 p.m. at 518 Coffeen St. and charged with second-degree criminal trespass. She allegedly entered and remained unlawfully inside a condemned residence. She was released with a court appearance ticket.

MOSLEY, Torrin Othel, 27, of 532 Frontenac St., Watertown, was arrested July 9 at 7:17 a.m. at 319 Clay St. on two counts: third-degree assault and criminal obstruction of breathing. Mosley allegedly struck a female victim in the nose during a domestic incident and later placed his hands around her neck.

STEWART, Patrick Dwayne Sr., 53, of Syracuse, was stopped July 9 at 11:10 p.m. on Arcade St. and charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, operating without insurance, and other traffic violations. He was released with three traffic tickets.

DOUGLAS, Sarah Marie, 39, of Watertown, was arrested July 9 at 6:49 a.m. at 500 State St. and charged with first-offense DWI and multiple traffic violations, including refusing a breath test and failing to keep right. She was released with multiple citations.

EDICK, Justin Paul, 28, of Black River, was arrested July 10 at 2:50 a.m. on Route 3 and charged with DWI, refusal to take a breath test, and multiple VTL violations including operating without insurance. He was released with several tickets.


NEW YORK STATE POLICE – TROOP D BLOTTER

June 23–24, 2025 | Zone 3

DANIELS, Richard E., 47, of Watertown, was arrested June 23 at 8:14 p.m. and charged with third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Daniels, a convicted felon, was allegedly found in possession of a firearm and held without bail pending arraignment.

GILBERT, Heather L., 48, of Watertown, was arrested June 23 at 10:12 p.m. following a domestic dispute. She was charged with second-degree burglary, second-degree assault, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, first-degree criminal contempt, and second-degree menacing. Gilbert was held for arraignment.

Juvenile, 14, of Antwerp, was arrested May 30 and charged with criminal mischief for allegedly damaging property. A family court appearance ticket was issued.

Unidentified adult, of Oswego, was arrested May 14 following a harassment complaint investigated by troopers out of Fulton. The individual was charged with second-degree harassment.


 

 

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Jefferson County Police Blotter 06/30/25

Watertown City Police Blotter - June 30th 2025


Lynn Marie Youmans, 25, of 177 Mechanic St #3, Watertown, was arrested on June 28 at 10:59 a.m. at her residence. She was charged with second-degree criminal contempt for allegedly violating a stay-away order of protection issued by Judge Doheny. Police say she contacted the protected party via phone and text, knowingly disobeying the court mandate. Youmans was processed and released with an appearance ticket returnable to city court.

Michael William Miller, 53, of 23680 County Rd 59, Dexter, was arrested on a warrant June 28 following two separate incidents from May 11 where he allegedly violated a court-issued order of protection. Police say Miller attempted to speak to and later emailed the protected party in violation of Judge Doheny’s stay-away order. He was processed and given a court date.

Kara Lea Garnsey, 30, of 328 Flower Ave E (Upper), Watertown, was arrested June 28 at 3:58 p.m. at Dollar General, 144 Eastern Blvd. She was charged with petit larceny, accused of stealing 32 Red Bull energy drinks by concealing them in a handbag and leaving without paying. Garnsey was processed and issued an appearance ticket.

Lewis Wayne Palladino, 54, of 630 E Main St, Watertown, was arrested June 29 at 9:02 a.m. He faces two counts of petit larceny after allegedly taking milk crates from Kinney Drugs, 905 Coffeen St, without attempting to pay. Palladino was released with an appearance ticket.

Ricky Hans Pierce, 56, of 522 Emerson St, Watertown, was arrested June 29 at 9:11 a.m. at 7-Eleven, 430 Factory St. He was charged with petit larceny. Police allege he allowed a passenger to load three stolen cases of Red Bull into his vehicle and drove away. He was released pending a court appearance.

Tyrone Laville Hale, 53, of 630 E Main St Apt 2, Watertown, was arrested June 29 at 8:16 a.m. and charged with petit larceny. Police say he stole three milk crates from Kinney Drugs, 905 Coffeen St. Hale was processed and released with a court date.

Joshua Scott Alexander, 41, homeless, was arrested June 29 at 9:11 a.m. at 7-Eleven, 430 Factory St. He was charged with petit larceny after allegedly stealing three cases of Red Bull and fleeing without payment. He was processed and released with an appearance ticket.

Rodrick Deon Jenkins, 38, of 5214 Wyoming Ave, Watertown, was arrested June 28 on a bench warrant for two counts of aggravated unlicensed operation (AUO) 2nd. He was held for arraignment.

Erik Allan Massey, 38, of 308 Creekwood Dr Apt 5, Watertown, was arrested June 28 at 12:34 a.m. and charged with trespassing. Police say he remained unlawfully at a residence on Creekwood Dr after being asked repeatedly to leave. He was processed and released with a ticket.

Dale Lee Tipton, 39, homeless, was arrested June 29 at 12:05 a.m. at 400 Washington St and charged with disorderly conduct. Police say Tipton was involved in a domestic incident and shoved another individual. He was issued a court appearance ticket.


New York State Police – Troop D Blotter
Public Activity Report: June 22–23, 2025


Ashley M. Fielder, 37, of Williamstown, and Amanda J. Graham, 42, of Pulaski, were arrested June 22 at 7:38 p.m. in the Town of Granby and charged with petit larceny. Troopers allege the two stole property from a building. Both were issued appearance tickets and released pending court dates.

Lindsey E. Davis, 33, of Sterling, and Kaylin K. Buscemi, 31, of Fulton, were involved in a personal injury motor vehicle crash June 22 at 12:34 p.m. in the Village of Hannibal. One person was transported for medical evaluation. The investigation was closed at the scene.


 

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Jefferson County Police Blotter 06/27/25

Watertown City Police Blotter June 27th 2025

Jade Marie Cooper (26) 643 Mundy St Apt# Lower - Cooper was pulled over on the 500 block of Lansing St. by city police and charged with Aggravate Unlicensed Operation & Failure to Stop at a Stop Sign. She was arrested, processed on scene and released with two appearance tickets for Watertown City Court. on 07/16/25.

Chris- Andre, St. George-Rowe (26) 21855 Oak Pointe Ln - Rowe was stopped by city police and charged with Unsafe Lane Change, Unsafe Passing on the Left, Reckless Driving, Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree, Red Light Violation, & Failure to Use Designated Lane. Reports state that Rowe did recklessly and unlawfully operate  a 2023 BMW at approximately 103 miles per hour in a marked 30 mile an hour speed zone, and created substantial risk of death to all others on the roadway. Rowe also did cause injury to another motor vehicle operator who suffered fractured ribs, fractured tibia, and lacerations to the spleen. Rowe turned himself into PSB where he was processed and held pending arraignment.

Joseph Lee Doyle (21) 515 Bradley St Apt# 2 - Doyle is charged by police with Assault in the Third Degree. Police reports state that Doyle did strike a victim in the face, during a domestic incident, resulting in a laceration to the victims face. He was transported to PSB and held pending his arraignment to city court.

Amber Lee Burns (34) Homeless - Burns is charged by Police with Making Graffiti. Reports state that she did intentionally graffiti over the parking garage of 146 Arsenal St with driveway sealant without permission from the owner. She was arrested and transported to PSB, where she was processed and released with an appearance ticket for city court on 07/09/25.

Davis Joseph Parkis (59) Homeless - Parkis  was stopped on the 100 block of High St and taken into custody on an Bench Warrant for the underlying charge listed as camping and fires prohibited. He was transported to PSB and held pending his arraignment in city court.

Althea Gracie Hilton (23) 147 Maple St Black River, NY - Hilton is charged with Crimial Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree & Aggravated Unlicensed Operation.  Reports state that at the time of her traffic stop, she was found in possession of approximately 32 glassine envelopes with a white power substance that tested positive for fentanyl.  He was arrested, transported to PSB and released with an appearance ticket.

Devin Rose Crislip (28) 1011 Academy St - Crislip is charged with Exposure of a person. Reports say that Crilip did appear in a public place in such a manner that her intimate parts were unclothed and exposed as she was nude from the waist down. She was arrested and transported to PSB, where she was released with an appearance ticked for city court on -7/08/25.


 NYSP Troop D Zone 3

Reporting Period: 7:01 AM June 25 – 7:00 AM June 26, 2025

Carthage

  • June 26, 5:49 AM – Troopers responded to an incident. Investigation ongoing.

  • June 25, 1:26 PM – Vehicle fire reported on Rutland Street. Scene cleared.

  • June 25, 1:21 PM – Report of a suspicious person. Cleared without incident.

Watertown

  • June 25, 10:32 AM – Larceny reported. Case under investigation.

  • June 25, 10:45 AM – Burglary alarm triggered. Determined to be unfounded.

  • June 25, 11:22 AM – Disabled vehicle reported. Driver assisted.

  • June 25, 10:48 PM – Suspicious vehicle reported in Hounsfield. No action necessary.

Le Ray

  • June 25, 12:04 PM – Report of gunshots fired. Area checked and incident cleared.

Richland

  • June 25, 11:30 AM – Theft reported. Investigation active.

Redfield

  • June 25, 1:00 PM – Larceny case opened. Investigation ongoing.

West Monroe

  • June 25, 11:46 AM – Disabled vehicle along highway. Motorist assisted.

Pamelia

  • June 26, 2:01 AM – Troopers assisted another agency. Call cleared.


Arrests

Watertown – June 25, 12:12 PM

Joseph L. Raible, 25, of Black River, was arrested and charged with felony grand larceny (credit card theft) and criminal contempt (2nd degree).

Thomas A. Rathbun, 44, of Phoenix, was arrested for criminal possession of a weapon (3rd degree) and menacing (2nd degree) following an incident involving threats.

 

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