The principal of a Lewiston elementary school is currently on leave because two people, including a former student, have claimed that he mistreated and threatened them with a gun earlier this year.
A judge in Wiscasset agreed with the former student and granted a protective order after a Monday hearing. The judge concluded that Donald K. Ferrara Jr. had committed sexual assault.
Ferrara’s lawyer denied the accusations, saying that the person making the claims has been falsely accusing Ferrara for over a decade. Ferrara, who is 54 years old and lives in Greene, has not been charged with a crime. Currently, he is on paid administrative leave from Robert V. Connors Elementary School, as confirmed by Jake Langlais, the superintendent of Lewiston schools. Langlais refused to answer other questions, citing confidentiality requirements.
In another case, a woman filed for a protection-from-abuse order in July in a Lewiston court, alleging that Ferrara had a history of abusing her. She claimed incidents over the past four years, including being pushed to the ground, choked, and having a laptop screen smashed. According to her complaint, Ferrara also mentioned having a gun and bullets. However, she later withdrew the request.
Ferrara’s lawyer, Walter McKee, stated, “Don is adamant that those allegations were untrue, and in fact, the complaint was dismissed before there was ever even a hearing.”
The former student, now 28 years old, sought a protective order in October, asserting that Ferrara came to her home, shot her with a BB gun, and threatened to use a real one next time. She claimed that he had threatened to kill her multiple times.
This former student had previously alleged sexual misconduct against Ferrara in a 2021 complaint to Lewiston schools. An investigator found the allegations likely false, citing no evidence of encounters after 2012. Court records also mentioned that the police and the Maine Department of Education investigated past complaints and found nothing.
Amber Tucker, an attorney for the former student, did not respond to a comment request. Meanwhile, Ferrara’s lawyer, McKee, mentioned that Ferrara plans to appeal the decision.
