HAVERHILL — A Haverhill School Committee member is accused of groping a teenager in a local 7-Eleven on Tuesday night, according to police.
Cheryl Ferguson is charged with indecent assault and battery on a teenager after allegedly fondling the boy around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday. She was arraigned in Haverhill District Court on Wednesday.
On Tuesday night, the boy told his mother about the incident, who recognized Ferguson and reported what happened to the police. She said Ferguson first approached her son and groped his bottom as he stood outside the convenience store, according to a police report.
Ferguson then entered the store and while leaving approached the boy again, touched his chest, and said, “Oh, you have nipples,” according to the report.
The mother reported that her son said he asked Ferguson to walk away, to which she responded by calling him a “creep,” police said.
Ferguson told police the interaction was a misunderstanding and that she was making playful comments about the boy’s Halloween costume. She said she approached the teenager, who was wearing a mask, poked him in the chest and said, “You’re scary.”
Police later placed the School Committee member under arrest.
At her arraignment, Ferguson was released on personal recognizance with conditions that include avoiding contact with minors and the alleged victim, she use a GPS monitor, and not leave her house from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Her next court appearance is scheduled in December.
Ferguson, who was elected to the committee in 2022, has a history of legal issues which includes past charges in domestic violence incidents, drunken driving, and driving without a license, according to a CBS report.
“We do have to be concerned with her presence around minors and that’s something that I’m sure we will address with legal counsel,” Haverhill School Committee Vice Chairperson Paul Magliocchetti said.
Magliocchetti attended Ferguson’s arraignment.
“I would hope it doesn’t reflect on the School Committee as a whole,” Magliocchetti said, “I did review the police report, but I haven’t heard Cheryl’s side of things.”
Ferguson will have the opportunity to share her perspective with the School Committee at a special meeting Monday that Magliochetti called. It is scheduled as an executive session and the public will not be able to attend.
“We do have to be concerned with her presence around minors and that’s something that I’m sure we will address with legal counsel,” Magliocchetti said. “We’re trying to do the best to protect and act in the best interest of the children, the families, and Haverhill.”