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Michael Forgione, 49, of Plantsville, was arrested on Thursday, Sept. 5, following an investigation into a complaint made by a Wolcott High School student, where Forgione has served as a teacher and coach for more than 20 years.
Police said that when the complaint by the student was made in May, Forgione was suspended with pay, and he has had no contact with students while the investigation was ongoing.
Following the investigation, police said that it was presented to the Waterbury States Attorneys Office for review, and “it was determined that probable cause did exist, and an arrest warrant was granted.”
Forgione turned himself in at the Wolcott Police Department and he was charged with sexual assault, risk of injury to a minor and breach of peace. Following his processing, Forgione was released on a $10,000 bond and he is scheduled to appear back in Waterbury Superior Court on Thursday, Sept. 12.
In a statement, an attorney for Forgione vehemently denied any wrongdoing and said that they plan to "fight all the charges vigorously and looks forward to being vindicated at the end of what (they) anticipate will be a long and painful process."
"Mr. Forgione cooperated fully with the investigation, meeting with both the Wolcott Police and the Department of Children and Families. Mr. Forgione was cleared of any wrongdoing by DCF as the allegations against him were unsubstantiated. We are shocked and deeply disappointed that the Waterbury States Attorney’s office elected to pursue these baseless and uncorroborated allegations. Despite dozens of people being present when this alleged incident occurred, no one saw anything. No one saw anything because nothing happened."
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