Wells College security guard arrested for sexual abuse
Aurora NY April 4 2023
New York State Police have arrested an Aurora man who worked as campus safety sergeant at Wells College on charges of sexual abuse.
David A. Hewitt, 60, was arrested Tuesday for allegedly engaging in sexual contact with a 16-year-old and sexually assaulting them for the last four years, state police said in a news release.
Hewitt was charged with first-degree aggravated sexual abuse, a class B felony, and use of a child in a sexual performance, a class C felony. Hewitt was arraigned and sent to Cayuga County Jail on $40,000 cash bail or $80,000 bond. On Wednesday afternoon, he was released from custody after posting the bond. State police were assisted by the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation.
Wells said in a statement Wednesday that Hewitt was immediately terminated from his position as campus safety sergeant after the college was notified of the arrest. The college added that the incidents under investigation did not take place on campus, nor did they involve any Wells students. The college also said it is fully cooperating with the investigation.
Counseling and support services are being made available to Wells staff, faculty and students, the college said.
“We consider the safety of our community to be of the (utmost) importance,” it said in its statement. “We want to express our heartfelt sympathy and concern for the victim and their family.”
The college declined comment to The Citizen when asked how long Hewitt had been an employee there.
According to The Citizen’s archives, Hewitt was a retired corrections officer and coached Moravia High School girls’ softball in the late 2010s.
State police are asking anyone who had contact with Hewitt to call investigators at (315) 255-2767.
