BOSTON, Dec. 10, 2011—A former teacher’s aide today admitted to having improper sexual contact with two special needs students who had been entrusted to his care, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

LASHAWN HILL (D.O.B. 3/10/78) pleaded guilty to one count each of indecent assault and battery on a child, lewd and lascivious conduct, and lascivious acts with a child.

Assistant District Attorney Alissa Goldhaber of Conley’s Child Protection Unit recommended a sentence of three to five years in state prison, followed by five years of probation upon his release. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Carol Ball sentenced Hill to a term of one to three years in state prison but imposed Goldhaber’s recommended probationary term and conditions. Under Ball’s order, Hill must stay away from both victims and their families, undergo sex offender evaluation and treatment, have no unsupervised contact with anyone under age 18, and not hold employment or volunteer positions working with anyone under 18.

Hill must also register as a sex offender, submit a DNA sample to the state database, and wear a GPS monitoring bracelet.

Had the case proceeded to trial, Goldhaber would have introduced evidence and testimony to show that Hill engaged in sexual misconduct in two separate incidents while he worked as a paraprofessional in special needs classrooms at two separate Boston Public Schools.

In the first incident in March 2011, Hill inappropriately touched a developmentally disabled boy age 6 or 7 inside a bathroom at the Martin Luther King Jr. School. The boy later disclosed the incident to his older brother and then to his mother.

In December of that year, a special needs teacher found Hill with a severely autistic, non-verbal, 14-year-old boy in a therapeutic recreation room at the Harbor Pilot School. Both Hill’s and the boy’s pants were unbuckled. It was after this incident that Boston Police and Suffolk prosecutors learned of Hill’s earlier conduct with the younger boy.

In an emotional statement prior to Hill’s sentencing, the 14-year-old victim’s mother asked that Hill be required to take part in sex offender treatment, explaining that her son remains emotionally scarred by the incident, even today.

“My son has become very angry, confused, and distrusting of everyone, including me at times. I can’t help but feel he’s disappointed in me because I wasn’t able to protect him,” the victim’s mother said. “He could never tell you how he feels about what happened, so I will be his voice.”

“Crimes against children are some of the most heartbreaking cases we encounter as prosecutors,” Conley said. “They are vulnerable, and these victims even more so because of the special challenges they face. I hope this full admission of guilt to all charges will help them and their families as they move forward.”

Kate Lagana was the DA’s victim witness advocate assigned to the case. Hill was represented by attorney Geoffrey Waller II. Hill is additionally charged in a larceny case still pending in Dorchester District Court; he will return to that venue at a later date.

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