Brian Fogelson, charged with child sex assault, may return to Nova Scotia
A former music teacher accused of sexually assaulting a child four decades ago may voluntarily return to Nova Scotia to answer to the charges, police say.
Sgt. Derek Smith of the Bridgewater RCMP said they're talking to Brian David Fogelson, 61, who is in the U.S.
"We're in the process of negotiating for him to come back to Canada on his own accord. And we expect that to happen in the not too distant future," said Smith. "We don't have things confirmed."
Fogelson taught in Mahone Bay and Lunenburg for 13 years starting in 1975. He moved back to the U.S., where he is from originally.
He became a high school principal in New Jersey and then a school board superintendent.
In May, Fogelson was charged with buggery, indecent assault on a male and an act of gross indecency, as the charges were called in the 1970s. An arrest warrant was issued in June.
The charges against Fogelson stem from a police investigation that started in 2012. They relate to incidents that allegedly occurred in Lunenburg between January 1, 1975 and December 31, 1976. His accuser was about 13 at the time.
Two similar cases
The accuser in Fogelson's case is the same person involved in a similar case earlier this year involving William Perrot.
Perrot is originally from Portsmouth, Virginia, but moved to Kingston, N.S., in 1975. Perrot taught music and English at West Kings District High School until he retired in 2009.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault on a male for incidents that occurred between January 1, 1975 and August 31, 1977. He is serving a two-and-a-half year prison sentence.
Police believe Fogelson and Perrot know each other. The two men graduated from Westminster Choir College in New Jersey in 1975.
At Perrot's sentencing in June, Judge Paul Scovil said Perrot had another friend who was a music teacher on the South Shore. Scovil said it was through this friend that Perrot met the victim. The judge did not say that friend was Fogelson.
The victim was a 13-year-old boy and a ward of the state when the abuse started. Perrot was 22.
"The activity continued over a period of time both in Lunenburg and in the Kingston area of Nova Scotia," said Scovil.
'Stupid and selfish'
In the victim's impact statement, the victim wrote: "The impact of that abuse on my life has been pervasive, constant and profound." The victim has experienced depression and substance abuse.
In the pre-sentence report, Perrot said he was sorry for his "stupid and selfish" behavior, for which he accepted full responsibility. He also acknowledged the harm done to the victim.
Perrot has been very involved in choral groups. He was the conductor of the Annapolis Valley Honour Choir for 12 years. He was also the coordinator of the National Youth Choir and the master conductor for the Nova Scotia Youth Choir in 1994, then known as the Rotary Youth Choir.
He has conducted choirs for performances with Symphony Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra. He was also part of the Kings Chorale, Nova Voce and the Halifax Camerata Singers. He served three terms as president of Choral Canada.
As part of his sentence, Perrot's name is now on the national sex offender registry for life. He can not go to any public park, public swimming area or community centre where children under the age of 16 could be present.
He also can not have a job or volunteer position that would involve children under the age of 16 for the next 20 years.
