GENESEE COUNTY (WWJ) – Police in Genesee County have arrested a former school teacher, principal and coach in multiple Michigan communities accused of sexually abusing children over the span of four decades.
Eugene Steven Pratt of Davison was arrested Tuesday and arraigned Wednesday on one count of criminal sexual conduct, but Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson says an investigation by the Genesee Human Opression Strike Team (GHOST) shows there could be 15 or more victims.
Pratt, 57, was given a bond, but remains in custody, as of Wednesday afternoon.
Swanson says Pratt worked at schools in Genesee, Oakland and Wayne Counties dating back to 1986 when he began as a student teacher in the Beecher Community School District in the Flint area, all the way through 2015 when he was the Dean of Students at a school in Hamtramck.
Pratt coached swimming and diving at various schools for at least 12 years, spent two years as a track coach and kept stats for the football team for 14 years. Swanson says Pratt often put himself in a supervisory position “to have access to prey.”
“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 during a Wednesday press conference.
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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.
The sheriff says 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.
The investigation escalated after one victim came forward earlier this year. He likened the case to predators such as Larry Nassar, Jerry Sandusky and Jeffery Epstein.
“(The investigations) start with one. One courageous victim who comes forward to tell their story. And that’s exactly what happened here. An adult male victim came forward and said, ‘I need to tell my story,’” Swanson said
He called the GHOST investigation “a culmination of many, many people that have noticed things that were unusual things, that were not correct, things that were odd, all coming together.”
During the investigation, police uncovered three different facilitation agreements between Pratt and victims he had abused while working at Beecher High School.
Swanson mentioned Pratt’s alleged misconduct may be connected to the suicide of one victim, but he wasn’t being charged in that case at this time.
Swanson said places where Pratt worked were reaching out to people who may have been victimized by Pratt.
Authorities are urging anyone who is a victim of Eugene Pratt or knows someone who may be to call 810-257-3422 or 911.
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