Upstate New York School Teacher Arrested on Sex Offense Charges

An Upstate New York teacher has been arrested by New York State Police and is facing serious sex offense charges. The Superintendent of the district has responded to the charges in a message to the school community.

New York State Police announced Tuesday, the arrest of 29-year-old Cory M. Patterson of Whitesboro back on January 3rd, 2025. Officials say Patterson is accused of two counts of Misdemeanor Forcible Touching, Misdemeanor Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree and "Act in Manner Injure a Child less than 17."

The preliminary State Police investigation revealed Mr. Patterson allegedly forcibly touched two female victims, ages 14 and 17-years-old, at the Owen D. Young Central School in December 2024.

Following his arrest on January 3rd, 2025, police say Patterson was transported to the Town of Herkimer Court, where he was arraigned by Judge Petucci and released on his own recognizance. He will return to the Town of Stark court on January 17th, 2025, at 10:30 a.m.

As a result of the arrest, Owen D. Young Superintendent Mr. Brennan Fahey released the following statement to his school community.

The District was notified recently that teacher, Mr. Cory Patterson, has been arrested and charged with four (4) misdemeanors. Upon learning of the allegations that gave rise to these charges, Mr. Patterson was immediately placed on administrative leave and the District has since received his resignation. Providing a safe learning environment for our students is an utmost priority for the Owen D. Young CSD. Rest assured, we remain committed to protecting the welfare of our students and are deeply troubled by this allegation and its effect on our school community. District counselors and administrators are available to speak with any student who may have been impacted by this matter. Given that this is a personnel matter and an active investigation by law enforcement, we are unable to comment further. Please direct any questions or further inquiries to the New York State Police.

The information contained in this statement was previously sent in a letter to all parents of all secondary students. The investigation is ongoing and as you can read from the statement, Mr. Patterson resigned from his position in the district and no longer works there.

[AUTHOR'S NOTE:   This post is for informational purposes and is based largely on information received from the New York State Police. Regardless of any statements or photographs regarding potential evidence presented or accusations alleged, the reader is reminded that all suspects and/or arrested persons are innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. At the time of this posting no additional information is available.]