Fall River Teacher Arrested for Molesting Girls at Mall

A Fall River middle school teacher has been accused of child molestation, according to school and law enforcement officials.

ABC6 is reporting that Matthew Labriola, a special education teacher at Morton Middle School, was arrested July 12 on charges of second degree child molestation after allegedly groping five female children, ages 12 to 14, at the Providence Place Mall. Labriola is a resident of Plainville, MA.

Court documents say Labriola allegedly bumped into the girls and groped their chests. They informed a mall security officer, and mall security later spotted Labriola riding an escalator. He was taken into custody, and the girls confirmed that he was the man who groped them.

Labriola was charged with five counts of second-degree child molestation, and one count of second-degree sexual assault. All six charges are felonies. He is also charged with three misdemeanor counts of simple assault. He pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge last Thursday. He was released on $20,000 bail.

The office of Fall River Schools Superintendent Matthew H. Malone confirmed to ABC6 that Labriola began working at Morton Middle School in September 2015. He is currently on administrative leave as the police investigation continues.

Labriola will return to District Court in October.