BROCKTON, MASS. (WHDH) - A choir teacher at Brockton High School was arrested and is accused of arranging and paying for sex with a 17-year-old student.
Matthew Cunningham, 35, was in court on Tuesday.
Cunningham heard the charges against him, sexual conduct for a fee and sex trafficking.
The prosecutor says Cunningham used an app to set up the encounter.
“The defendant then drove to pick up the victim, drove the victim to his home where the defendant immediately began kissing the victim and taking off the victim’s clothing,” said Jason Blachette, prosecutor.
Cunningham’s lawyer says his client didn’t know anything about the teen.
“The alleged victim lied about his age on that dating app, misrepresented that he was older to Mr. Cunningham,” said Brendan Kelly, defense attorney. “I understand how it makes a good story. You have an educator and you have a student but that was unknown to Mr. Cunningham at the time.”
School officials say they are troubled by the arrest. They are doing all they can to support the school community at this time. They say in a statement, “Our priority at this time is the safety and well-being of our students, and we are actively working to marshal the resources necessary to support the Brockton High School community, especially those who are feeling in any way impacted by this situation.”
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