Former Easton School Aide Sentenced for Sexually Assaulting Student

FALL RIVER (WBSM) — A former paraprofessional at a high school in Easton has been sentenced to state prison for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old female student.

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III said Matthew Parris, 34, was convicted on August 1 after a jury trial in Fall River Superior Court on two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over the age of 14. He was acquitted of rape charges against the victim and second female student.

Parris to Serve Prison Time and Probation

Parris was sentenced on August 11 to serve two and a half years in the Bristol County House of Correction, followed by three years of supervised probation.

He is also required to register as a sex offender, wear a GPS monitoring bracelet, cannot work a job that would put him in routine contact with minors under the age of 16, and cannot have unsupervised contact with children under 16.

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Incident Involved Southeastern Regional Student

In March 2020, a 15-year-old female student at Southeastern Regional High School in Easton reported she had previously been sexually assaulted by Parris, who at the time was 29 years old and worked as a paraprofessional in her shop class.

She said that in February 2020, Parris began messaging her on Instagram, telling her she was attractive, and started making sexual comments. He also told her to delete all messages. During the February school vacation, on February 22, 2020, Parris arranged to meet the victim at a cemetery in East Bridgewater.

READ MORE: Southeastern Voc-Tech Assistant Teacher Accused of Raping Female Students

Once there, he took her to a remote location in the back of the cemetery and tried to kiss the girl and touched her breast without her consent, according to court documents reported in 2020. The victim was able to connect with a friend via a video call, and the friend observed Parris and the victim together. Parris also gave the victim a bag containing a sex toy, an Easton detective wrote in a police report.

As reported back in 2020, the girl told police that on March 2, Parris made threatening comments and forced her to perform oral on him during the school day.

Detectives then interviewed a second female student. She told police Parris messaged her on Instagram and told her to meet him, and when she did, he held her down and forced her to perform oral sex. Parris reportedly threatened to harm the girl's family if she did not comply with his wishes. The next day Parris forced the girl to undress in the back seat of his car then drove to another location, where he sexually assaulted her.

Both victims reported separate incidents involving Parris on March 2, and Parris reportedly continued to send the second victim sexual messages on Instagram.

School officials interviewed Parris after the allegations came to light and said he admitted to kissing a student and said he was a "sex addict" who needed help. Superintendent Luis Lopes then fired Parris.

DA Quinn on Parris' Conviction

"This defendant took advantage of his position of authority as a paraprofessional to sexually assault the victim, who was a student in one of his classes,” D.A. Quinn said. “The defendant deserves to serve time and register as a sex offender.”

Quinn Also Pushes for Harsher Penalties

Quinn also said he supports proposed Massachusetts legislation that would increase the penalties for anyone in a position of trust who supervises a child and indecently assaults them.

“The legislation would also make it a crime if one in a position of trust with a child engages in sexual intercourse when the child is 16 or 17 years old. Consent would no longer be a defense,” he said. “These statutory changes are necessary to hold those individuals accountable who sexually assault children they have supervision of.”