Crime & Safety

WCSU Professor Charged With Criminal Sexual Act

New York State Police reported Paul S. Hines, a chemistry professor at Western Connecticut State University since 1968, was charged Monday with third-degree criminal sexual act, a felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor.

"We're concerned," said WCSU Spokesperson Paul Steinmetz, who said Hines has been a professor at the university since 1968 in chemistry.

Hines has been a coordinator at the Dorothy Day Shelter on Spring Street in Danbury since 1982, according to a request for volunteers published in 2004.

New York Police said Hines communicated online with a 15-year-old, and they met at the teen's Somers' home, where he engaged in sexual contact, police said. They did not identify the teen's gender.

Police said Hines was arraigned in the Somers Town Court and was held at Westchester County jail without bail. The investigation was conducted by the Westchester County District Attorney's Office.

This information was provided by the New York State Police. A person charged with a crime is innocent until having been convicted in court.


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