KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A 60-year-old former speech and language pathologist is accused of committing sex crimes against children at Prairie Park Elementary school in the Lawrence Public Schools district.
A Lawrence family came forward to police on Saturday morning with concerns their child's speech therapist, Mark Elliott Gridley, sexually assaulted their student during an incident at the school on Friday.
The Lawrence Police Department said Gridley was arrested on Saturday night.
"These are very serious allegations," Sgt. Drew Fennelly said. "It certainly has a traumatic lasting impact that these types of crimes can inflict."
Gridley was charged Monday in the Douglas County District Court with aggravated indecent liberties with a child by lewdly fondly and/or touching and kidnapping. Charging documents revealed the victim was born in 2014.
On Monday morning, investigators learned of a second possible victim.
"The victims that we know of were involved in sessions with this individual in one-on-one settings," Fennelly said.
Gridley is in custody, however investigators don't know the scope of how many children he worked with or allegedly assaulted.
"At this point, we are concerned that the victim list could grow," Sgt. Fennelly said. "What we're asking is families who have children who have had contact with this individual is to talk to them but not an in-depth conversation. We don't want parents to get their kids to talk about the details of things that may have occurred with this teacher."
If parents believe their child was involved, they are asked to call police at 785-830-7430.
"When kids are involved in crimes like this it can be very traumatizing to recount what exactly happened," Fennelly said. "That's why it's important for trained professionals to conduct those interviews."
In a statement to KSHB 41 News, the district said it relieved Gridley of his duties upon learning about the allegations.
"School and district administration continue to work closely alongside our law enforcement partners to support their investigative efforts. We will keep staff and families informed as the investigation progresses," interim superintendent Dr. Jeanice Swift said in part. "Our continuing focus will be on ensuring ongoing support for our students, staff, and families as we work through this concerning situation. Our district has the highest standards for our employees, who are entrusted to care for, educate, and support our community’s children. When a safety concern is reported, our administrative team immediately investigates, including involving local law enforcement, as appropriate. Based on the findings of the investigation, we take decisive action in accordance with the law and Lawrence Board of Education Policy."
If convicted, Gridley faces a minimum of 25 years in prison according to court documents. LPD believes he also worked with a private practice with similar job responsibilities as a speech therapist.
"Our primary focus right now is finding out exactly how many kids are involved here," Fennelly said. "Everything else we can work through as the investigation progresses but we want to make sure that kids are safe. We have that now with this individual being taken into custody and we need to start making contact with these kids and find out the exact scope of what occurred."
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