New London — At the request of state prosecutors, a judge in New London on Thursday agreed to keep sealed the details of the allegations against Corriche Gaskin, a New London school employee facing a felony charge of risk of injury to a minor.

Gaskin, who has worked for several years with middle schoolers as a youth mentor and basketball coach, made a brief appearance before Judge Karyl Carrasquilla in New London Superior Court. It was his first time in court following an April 5 arrest for what New London police described as "criminal activity involving Gaskin and an underage New London student."

Gaskin was accompanied in court by New London attorney Michael Blanchard, who declined comment and said he has advised Gaskin not to comment to the media. The case was transferred to New London's Part A court, where more serious crimes are tried. Gaskin is due back in court there on May 10.

Police have said investigation in the case continues, one of the initial reasons prosecutors sealed the arrest warrant affidavit in the case.

Gaskin, 35, was working as a so-called climate specialist, a grant-funded position at Harbor Elementary School, at the time of his arrest. A climate specialist works with students, staff and families in peer mediation and behavior supports. He is an unaffiliated employee who earned $44,217 as of 2018 and was placed on paid administrative leave by the district on March 20.

Court records show the arrest stems from an alleged incident that occurred on March 1, 2017, when Gaskin was working at Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School, where he had spent the majority of his employment with the district. He was reassigned to Harbor at the beginning of the current school year.

Gaskin was hired by the school district in 2014, contrary to earlier reports from the district stating he started in 2015, records show.

Records also show he worked as a paraprofessional at Nathan Hale Elementary School and by 2015 was working as the in-school suspension facilitator at Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School before he was hired as a climate specialist there.

During his time at Bennie Dover, he was involved with an athletics mentoring program, a basketball coach, an after-school enrichment instructor working with troubled youth and a member of the athletics event staff.

Personnel records obtained by The Day show Gaskin, who graduated from New London High School in 2004, was honest about his past felony criminal conviction on drug charges. Records show he was caught transporting crack cocaine by New London police in 2008.

"I was arrested in October 2008 and charged with possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute. A friend of mine asked me to do them a favor by picking up a bag and dropping it off with another friend. In retrospect I am aware of the poor decision I made and how it has impacted my life," Gaskin wrote in 2014.

"Since that time I have made significant strides towards bettering my life and want to be able to give back to my community in a positive way," he wrote. "Although I would never wish this situation on anyone, it has shown me the importance of living life the right way for my children and my community. I want the opportunity to teach my children and children in my community the value of hard work, honesty and integrity."

Gaskin had a host of supporters within the school district who recommended him for various positions.

In a petition for a presidential pardon on Gaskin's conviction, former school district human resources director Louis Allen in 2017 called Corriche an asset to the school system and of good moral character, an opinion shared by others.

"He has proven to be reliable, and is always seeking ways on how to help students," Allen wrote. "Corriche is well-liked at New London Public Schools and the staff and students know they can go to him with problems and concerns, since Corriche is willing to listen and can often come up with solutions."

Following Gaskin's arrest, Superintendent Cynthia Ritchie called the situation "incredibly concerning to all" and said the district, Department of Children and Families and the police department responded immediately when issues were raised.

g.smith@theday.com