St. Helens High School teachers Eric Stearns and Mark Collins were arrested and charged with sexually abusing 9 female students in recent years.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting high school sex abuse induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was sexually abused at St. Helens High School in Oregon, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Sexual Abuse Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
St. Helens High School Teachers Arrested for Sex Abuse
On November 12, 2024, after a two-month investigation, police arrested two teachers at St. Helens High School on charges of sexually abusing 9 female students. The teachers were:
- Eric Stearns, 46, a current choir teacher at St. Helens High School, who was arrested on charges of sexually abusing 6 female students.
- Mark Collins, 64, a former math teacher who recently retired. Collins is charged with sexually abusing 3 female students.
Both men pleaded not guilty. The sexual abuse charges involve inappropriate behavior toward minor female students at St. Helens High School in the city of St. Helens, Oregon, about 28 miles northwest of Portland.
Police Urge Victims to Come Forward
The St. Helens Police Department said there may be other victims, and detectives are urging anyone with information to come forward:
“Investigators are seeking additional information about Stearns and Collins and are concerned that there may be additional victims. If you have additional information, the St. Helens Police Department would like to hear from you. Please contact St. Helens Detectives Edwards and Smith by calling 503-397-1521.”
What Happened?
Police said the St. Helens School District received complaints about sexual abuse involving the teachers as early as 2019, but failed to alert authorities. In mid-October 2024, police notified the school district that Stearns was under investigation for sex abuse, yet he remained teaching until he was arrested two months later, in November 2024.
Outraged Parents and Students Shut Down St. Helens High School
The school district’s decision to allow Stearns to keep teaching during the police investigation prompted outrage from parents and students. Widespread protests shut down the school on Thursday, November 14, with angry parents and teachers calling on school officials to resign.
On Friday, November 15, St. Helens Superintendent Scot Stockwell and St. Helens High School Principal Dr. Katy Wagner were placed on administrative leave. School board chair Ryan Scholl also resigned.
TikTok Video Exposed “Pedophile” Teachers at St. Helens
The police investigation only began after a TikTok video was posted by a former student who graduated in 2007. In the video, the student described inappropriate sexual behavior by teachers at St. Helens High School. He also accused the school of protecting predatory teachers.
After other students commented on the TikTok video, claiming that teachers were still sexually abusing students at St. Helens High School, someone sent the video to the Safe Oregon tip line.
The tip prompted police to investigate. Detectives scoured the TikTok video comments and determined that multiple female students had complained about being sexually abused by Stearns and Collins over the past 4 or 5 years.
Detectives also contacted some of the students who commented on the video and discovered that multiple female students had reported Stearns or Collins for inappropriate behavior to the school district.
Police Investigate Sex Abuse at St. Helens High School
In October 2024, detectives subpoenaed the school district and discovered reports from multiple female students who complained about inappropriate behavior involving Stearns and Collins.
One of the sex abuse victims is a 14-year-old girl who complained that Stearns would follow her in class and during lunch break, hugging her, kissing her, and saying he loved her — but when her mother complained, the school district did nothing, even after she contacted a lawyer.
School District Paid $3.5 Million Sex Abuse Settlement
This is not the first time the St. Helens High School has been hit with a scandal involving students who were sexually abused by teachers.
In March 2024, the school district paid a $3.5 million sex abuse lawsuit settlement to a female student who said she was abused by Kyle Wroblewski, a former track coach and teacher at St. Helens High School. The lawsuit claimed that the district was aware of harassment and “predatory” behavior, but did nothing to protect students.
Do I Have a St. Helens High School Sex Abuse Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting high school sex abuse induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was sexually abused at St. Helens High School in Oregon, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Sexual Abuse Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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