Teacher Accused of Sex with Teens Faces Dangerousness Hearing

A Seekonk man accused of having sex with and sexting teens was freed on $150,000 bail last week, but he could be heading back to jail if a Fall River Superior Court judge determines he is a dangerous person under the state's dangerousness statute.

Associate Justice Francis X. Spina of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday overturned last week's decision by a Fall River judge that 33-year-old Patrick Doyle's alleged crimes of aggravated statutory rape did not meet the criteria for a dangerousness hearing.

Doyle's dangerousness hearing will take place Tuesday in Fall River. The judge could determine he should be held in custody without bail for up to 90 days.

"We have been aggressively utilizing the dangerousness statute to keep dangerous defendants behind bars and the citizens of Bristol County safe for the past six years ... This time around it is very reassuring to have the Single Justice of the SJC agree with our interpretation [of the statute]," said District Attorney Sam Sutter, according to a press release. "I hope this makes a statement to those who preside over these hearings that the purpose of the statute is to keep victims, potential victims and all law-abiding citizens safe from harm at the hands of dangerous individuals."

Doyle, who is an eighth-grader social studies teacher at Taunton High School, is accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl at his home and having sexual contact with another on the high school campus. He also allegedly sent sexually suggestive messages, and in at least one case a picture of his penis, via cellphone to those girls and another teen.

Doyle has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. His attorney has called the alleged victims "evil" and told reporters outside a courtroom earlier this month that they were trying to sabotage his client's life and career.

"Emphatically, he denies these charges," attorney Lefteris Travayiakis told reporters about his client. "He's innocent. It's nothing more than a witch hunt. We're not dealing with Rhode Scholars here, in terms of who these students are."

Editor's Note: Patrick Doyle's name was spelled incorrectly in a previous version of this article.