(Baltimore, MD) -- Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown says a former pastor at the Gilman School in Baltimore has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a student in the 1970s.
Eighty-two-year-old Pastor Laurence LaPointe pleaded to one count of fourth-degree sex offense and one count of common-law assault, and he received a three-year suspended sentence.
According to court statements, LaPointe invited the victim to his on-campus apartment to play chess. While there, LaPointe convinced the student to play “strip chess" and told the victim that it was a special thing between the two of them and the victim should not tell anyone about it.
"Those who were sexually assaulted as children continue to carry the burden of that trauma long after they reach adulthood,” said Attorney General Brown. “No matter how much time passes, we will help lift that weight off survivors’ shoulders and hold accountable anyone who abuses a position of trust to inflict such devastating harm on our children.”
LaPointe will be on five years of supervised probation and may have no direct contact with anyone under the age of 18.
He must also undergo a psychosexual evaluation and follow any recommended treatment.