A professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Michigan has been charged with first diploma sexual misconduct.
Peter Chen was arraigned on January 27 and provided a private recognizance bond. The 55-calendar year-outdated professor has taught at the university for 27 a long time.
Dean of the School of Engineering, Alec Gallimore, declared to college students and faculty that Chen had been put on paid out administrative go away on Thursday.
Ann Arbor police launched an investigation into the professor immediately after allegations were manufactured that Chen had sexually assaulted a minor whom he was coaching in robotics.
According to the law enforcement, Chen started assaulting a female target throughout the summer season of 2017 when she was aged 11. The alleged sexual assaults ongoing into the drop of 2018, taking place largely at Chen’s home.
More assaults allegedly occurred in a men’s lavatory in the course of a area vacation to the Ann Arbor wastewater cure plant and in a area in Detroit where by Chen and the victim have been attending a robotics camp in April 2018.
The mom of the alleged victim described Chen to the law enforcement in November 2019. In the report, Chen is explained as a family good friend who attended the same church as the victim and her spouse and children.
Chen, who denies the allegations of sexual misconduct with a slight, is being legally represented by Bloomfield Hills–based law business Smith Blythe, Laptop, a dedicated criminal sexual conduct defense business.
His lawyers issued the adhering to assertion: “On January 26, 2021 Mr. Chen was built mindful of the legal sexual conduct allegations that had been built towards him. He wholly denies the allegations and has cooperated completely with the Ann Arbor Law enforcement Office to assist them in their investigation.
“Mr. Chen is self-confident that the real truth will prevail and that he will be fully exonerated. Mr. Chen thanks the quite a few men and women who have achieved out in aid of him about the past couple of days.”
Chen grew to become CSE section chair very last 12 months when the previous chair, Brian Noble, stepped down. Noble left his place adhering to a February 2020 investigation by The Verge into allegations of sexual misconduct involving the university’s personal computer science instructor Jason Mars.
In a notice to pupils and college asserting Chen’s go away, U of M spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald wrote that “the ongoing allegations of misconduct involving CSE school are troubling.”
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