FLINT (WWJ) – Eugene Pratt, a former school teacher, administrator and coach in multiple Metro Detroit communities remains in the Genesee County jail two weeks after he was charged with criminal sexual conduct.
Back on Aug. 17 the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office announced an investigation that goes back decades and spans several counties. Pratt, 57, was charged that day with one count of CSC, but Sheriff Chris Swanson said investigators believe there are many more victims.
Speaking at a press conference in downtown Flint on Wednesday, Swanson said thanks to media coverage in the two weeks since the announcement of the investigation, another victim has come forward and authorities are working to bring that case to the prosecutor.
As of right now, Swanson says there are 16 victims they have identified, but likely more.
Pratt remains in the Genesee County Jail, held on $25,000 bond. Swanson said Wednesday Pratt could be released on a tether, but no one has yet come forward to give him a place to be tethered to.
Allegations of sexual abuse go all the way back to the 1980s. Pratt worked at schools in Genesee, Oakland and Wayne Counties from 1986 all the way through 2015. In addition to teaching and serving as an administrator, Pratt also coached swimming and diving at multiple schools and served as a statistician for a football team.
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Authorities have not released any specific details about the alleged abuse, but Swanson said all the victims were males and considered both young adults and teenagers at the time of the abuse.
Swanson said earlier this month that Pratt had a “procedure that took place,” and took just minutes to go from an introduction to requesting sex acts while he was the principal at Beecher Adult and Alternative Education. Swanson said that is a program for students who are often vulnerable and looking to get their lives back on track.
“Individuals like Eugene Pratt put themselves in positions of authority over others in order to act out their prey and to find and identify other people,” Swanson said when the case was initially announced.
On Wednesday, Swanson said now that Pratt has been charged, authorities have issued subpoenas to all the schools where Pratt worked over the decades. Investigators are requesting any personnel records, complaints and other documents pertaining to Pratt’s employment. All schools have so far been cooperative with the investigation.
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He said the sheriff’s office has received even more tips since announcing the case, which has helped police validate a lot of what they had uncovered in their initial investigation.
“We will never stop chasing leads. If there’s more victims out there, please come forward. We will work your case and give your voice,” Swanson said.
The sheriff said he’s “not convinced that we won’t have victims that have cases that will never be charged because that’s the way this kind of thing works.”
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