BOSTON, Dec. 13, 2016—A former associate chaplain at a Rhode Island school was arraigned today for allegedly assaulting a student in his care during two trips to Boston more than 40 years ago, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

HOWARD “HOWDY” WHITE, Jr. (D.O.B. 6/8/41), of Bedford, Pennsylvania, was arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court this morning on five counts of assault and battery. The indictments, returned Nov. 21, charge White with sexually assaulting the boy during two trips to Boston in 1973, when the victim was between 15 and 16 years old.

White appeared voluntarily at arraignment and prosecutors did not request bail. They did request orders that he have no contact with the victim, have no unsupervised contact with any children under 18, and surrender his passport. Those orders were imposed.

White was indicted for assault and battery because, at the time of the alleged offenses, Massachusetts had not yet enacted the indecent assault and battery statute, Conley said. The statute of limitations does not bar prosecutors from trying the case because White has never been “usually and publicly a resident within the commonwealth” as required by that statute.

“Whether as a child or as an adult, disclosing sexual abuse can be the most daunting experience in a person’s life,” Conley said. “Survivors everywhere should know that they can feel safe and supported coming to us, and that we place their well-being above all else as we investigate and prosecute the harm committed against them.”

Assistant District Attorney Audrey Mark, chief of Conley’s Child Protection Unit, told the court that White was an associate chaplain and the victim was a student at St. George’s School in Middletown, Rhode Island, during the time frame in question.

As an academic advisor, White allegedly befriended the youngster, bringing him over to help with his studies and taking him out to dinner. In the spring and fall of 1973, he allegedly took the boy on overnight trips, including two trips to Boston, where they stayed at a hotel and White assaulted him.

In his sophomore year, prosecutors say, the victim confronted White about the abuse and told him it had to stop. White responded, “If you try to stop, I’ll make your life difficult,” prosecutors said. The victim reported the abuse to school faculty in 1974, and White allegedly admitted to a faculty member that he had sexually assaulted the boy.

White is represented by attorney David Duncan. His presence at a Jan. 5, 2017, administrative court date has been waived, and his trial is scheduled for June 26, 2017.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.