Former Milton teacher pleads not guilty to child rape charges

MILTON, Mass. - A former Milton Academy teacher has been returned to the U.S. from Thailand to face child rape charges involving one former student.

The Norfolk District Attorney's office said 72-year-old Reynold Buono left Milton Academy in 1987 and had been living in southeast Asia for a number of years.

Buono was arraigned at Norfolk District Court on Wednesday, where he pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape of a child and three counts of rape of a child with force. He was named in sealed indictments last year.

PREVIOUS: Milton Academy discloses sexual misconduct by former faculty members

Back in February 2017, Milton Academy said that independent investigators had determined Buono, who headed the school's theater program for more than a decade, molested at least a dozen male students.

This case specifically involves a single 15-year-old student who authorities said Buono sexually assaulted when he was the head of the theater program.

Buono's attorney rejected the investigation's findings at the time.

The child's mother eventually confronted administrators, who talked to Buono about it. He said he always stopped when asked, and after seeing a psychiatrist, the school allowed Buono to continue teaching at Milton, until two years later.

In 1987, a second 15-year-old victim came forward, and Buono was fired and fled to Thailand.

"It's a very old case, meaning that the allegations are from 36+ years ago," said Inga Bernstein, the defense attorney. "I don't even know the specifics of it but there are going to be a lot of legal questions that need to be answered."

Decades later, the school is taking the situation very seriously. The private investigator hired by the school also discovered three other former members of the faculty engaged in sexual abuse or misconduct during the same time period. Two other additional members of staff were also accused, but the firm could not corroborate those accounts.

All these cases are now being investigated by police.

Milton Academy released the following statement on Buono's case:

"It has been brought to our attention that Rey Buono, a member of the Milton faculty from 1973 to 1987, was brought back from Thailand by federal authorities to face indictments in Norfolk Superior Court. In 2016 Milton Academy hired T&M Protection Resources to investigate allegations of historic sexual abuse committed by former Milton faculty members. In 2017, we wrote to share with you the outcome of T&M's independent fact-finding investigation into these allegations. We also outlined how we currently respond to survivors and take actions so that such transgressions never again happen on our campus. You can find these communications on our Healing & Safety Oversight page. As part of the investigation, T&M concluded that Rey Buono engaged in multiple incidents of sexual misconduct with students during his tenure at Milton. T&M substantiated reports of abuse involving at least 12 students, all of whom were minors at the time. Evidence also suggested that Rey Buono was living in Southeast Asia. Milton Academy commends both law enforcement and the survivors who assisted in the grand jury indictments against Rey Buono. The Academy fully supports their efforts. We hope this step will continue the healing process for survivors and for the community. We remain grateful to the individuals who have come forward during this investigation, and to the broader Milton community for your continued support of this important process."

Buono is being held without bail until a hearing on July 18.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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