A special education teacher at the Hampton Street School in Mineola was arrested last week for allegedly sodomizing a 17-year-old who he knew from St. Kilian Catholic Church in Farmingdale in April 2001.

Police allege that Christopher Ross, who has been employed by the Mineola School District since the summer of 2001, sodomized a 17-year-old male while at his home in South Farmingdale on April 27, 2001.

According to Det. Lt. John Allen of the Nassau County Police Special Services Squad, the victim came forward several months ago, prompting an investigation, which led to the arrest last Wednesday.

Allen said that although it's difficult to say what prompted the alleged victim to come forward, it is not unusual for there to be a delay from the time of an incident to a victim reporting it. "It's classic that there is a delay for a sex crime victim to make a disclosure," he said. "I think the age of the victim was important. The mentor relationship he had with the offender is important. I think clearly [the victim] matured enough to realize how wrong this was and it troubled him enough to make a disclosure."

Allen said that sometime in 1997 while Ross was a volunteer for the youth program at St. Kilian Church, he met the alleged victim who was then 14. Allen said the alleged crime took place when the alleged victim was 17 and that the alleged victim disclosed information to police when he was 19. He is now 20-years-old.

Laura Ahearn, director of Parents for Meagan's Law, an organization devoted to preventing sex crimes against minors, said that it is not unusual for there to be a period of time before a victim comes forward. Ahern pointed out that most sexual victimization goes unreported. "Most children and youth who have been sexually victimized will not tell because they are embarrassed and feel ashamed that they participated in some way. Just by virtue of the fact that they are there and it is a person that they trust and care about, they are feeling so humiliated by the experience that coming forward would cause them to feel more embarrassment and shame," she said.

Msgr. James Swiader of St. Kilian Church said Ross was a group discussion leader for religion and teen topics such as peer pressure. Msgr. Swiader said Ross was asked to take a step back from working with teens in August 2001. "We were not comfortable with the way he was relating to the teens," he said.

Msgr. Swiader pointed out that there weren't any allegations or complaints of anything offensive, but that church officials felt it was not the proper environment for Ross, 33, to be working in.

Superintendent of Schools for the Mineola School District Dr. Lorenzo Licopoli said the district is shocked at the allegations. "From his time that he has been here, his conduct gave no concern for us regarding his performance or behavior. We are very surprised at the allegations," he said.

Dr. Licopoli said that while the charges are pending, Ross would be reassigned to an area in the district where there are no kids.

Although police said Ross confessed to the crime, his attorney, Kevin Keating of Garden City, said his client is denying the charges. "This allegation has come out of left field. Mr. Ross has an impeccable reputation and we are going to work extremely hard to ensure that that reputation remains intact and he's vindicated. He adamantly denies any wrongdoing. The general sentiment appears to be that he's a great teacher and beloved in the district and that's why he is so devastated by this claim," Keating said.

Ross was charged with third degree Sodomy.