New London school employee facing sexual assault, child porn charges
[naviga:img class="img-responsive" src="/Assets/news2019/0507 DAY gaskin.jpg" alt="Corriche Gaskin"/]
Corriche Gaskin
New London — Sexual assault and child pornography are among the latest criminal charges faced by a New London school employee arrested last month for allegedly showing a middle schooler a sexually explicit homemade video of himself on his cellphone.
Corriche Gaskin, 35, of 213 Poquonnock Road, Apt. 2, Groton, was charged Tuesday with second-degree sexual assault, third-degree possession of child pornography, voyeurism, disseminating voyeuristic material and four counts of risk of injury to a minor. Gaskin was charged in early April with one count of risk of injury to a minor.
The latest charges are the result of what New London Police Capt. Brian Wright said was an ongoing criminal investigation. Police declined to discuss any details related to the new charges.
The investigation stems from a complaint forwarded to police in March alleging Gaskin had sexually assaulted an underage female student from Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School when Gaskin was working there as a climate specialist handling behavioral issues. Gaskin was transferred by the district to Harbor Elementary School at the beginning of the current school year.
Investigation by New London police revealed allegations that Gaskin had engaged in sexual acts with at least two middle school teachers and at least one middle school student and used his cellphone to record the encounters. One student interviewed by police, who said she was assaulted in Gaskin’s office at the middle school, said Gaskin had shown her three explicit cellphone videos during the 2016-17 school year.
A 25-year-old Bennie Dover Jackson teacher admitted she was involved in a sexual relationship with Gaskin during the 2016-17 school year and Gaskin had on multiple occasions initiated sexual activity inside the school, “inside a lower level supply closet and multiple times inside her classroom,” according to an arrest warrant application.
A 21-year-old paraprofessional at the middle school also admitted to police a sexual relationship with Gaskin in the 2016-17 school year and was aware Gaskin was recording their sexual encounters on multiple occasions. She told police “Gaskin did this often and it was ‘his thing.’”
A 15-year-old student admitted in a March 26 interview with police that when she was in eighth grade, at the end of the 2016-17 school year, she had a sexual encounter with Gaskin in his office. She told police she had never told anyone and it was the only encounter between the two.
Gaskin was placed on paid administrative leave on March 20. The school board was scheduled to meet Tuesday night behind closed doors to discuss the case.
Gaskin was hired by the district in March 2014 as a paraprofessional at Nathan Hale Elementary School. He had revealed a past federal felony conviction, for possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute stemming from a 2008 arrest in New London, on his job application with the school district.
In 2015 Gaskin was working as an in-school suspension facilitator at Bennie Dover, where he later was promoted to school climate specialist.
Gaskin posted a $100,000 bond after his initial arrest. He was held Tuesday in lieu of a $500,000 bond and expected to appear Wednesday in New London’s Part A court.
Police ask anyone with information about the case to contact detectives at (860) 447-1481 or send an anonymous tip through the 411 system by texting NLPDTip with the information to TIP411.
