Abuse case from 1975 settled in court with probation, mandated sex offender treatment

GREENFIELD – A former dorm parent and teacher at Northfield Mount Hermon was placed on probation and ordered to undergo sex offender treatment and stay away from the victim after a change of plea in connection to an assault on the student in the mid-1970s.
John (Jock) Sturges, 74, of Seattle, Washington pleaded guilty to a charge of unnatural and lascivious act on a child under 16 in Franklin Superior Court on Nov. 15, before Judge Francis Flannery. Sturges, who appeared in court via video conferencing, was represented by Greenfield defense attorney David Rountree. Northwestern Assistant District Attorney Frederic Bartmon represented the Commonwealth.
“We commend the survivor for her courage in coming forward and exposing the defendant’s misconduct,” said Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan. “Fortunately, the passage of time did not prevent the Commonwealth from holding the defendant accountable for his crimes, and achieving some measure of justice in this case.”
The victim in the case, who also appeared in court via video Monday, addressed the court. “For a long time, many decades, I refused to believe that what I thought I wanted when I was 14 turned out to be a protracted form of sexual abuse and exploitation,” she said. “In the aftermath of my time at Northfield Mount Hermon, I fell apart. I had a complete nervous breakdown, suffered from extreme depersonalization and anxiety, to a point where I was not able to function at school or society.
She also addressed Mr. Sturges directly: “You were in a position of parental protection and guidance, and you posited yourself as my teacher and advisor… I hope that you can understand now that you were a sexual predator and I was your prey. I survived, but barely.”
“The impact this crime had on the victim underscores the importance of prosecuting this offense, regardless of how long ago it was committed. This 28-year-old man took advantage of his employment and of his fiduciary relationship with the children he was supposed to be supporting to have a protracted sexual relationship with a fourteen-year-old, first year student,” ADA Bartmon said in explaining the rationale behind the plea and recommended probation. “Resolving the case in thismanner requires the defendant to unconditionally acknowledge a full recitation of facts that underly the statutory rape allegation as previously indicted.”
Sturges originally had been arraigned in Franklin Superior Court in 2018 after being indicted by the Grand Jury.
The victim and Sturges met in 1975 when Sturges was 28 years old and in charge of a dorm at the private school in Northfield. She was 14 at the time and a student at the school.
Judge Flannery placed Sturges on probation for three years.