Police arrest Fall River teacher accused of groping girls at Providence mall

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Police say a special education teacher is facing several molestation charges following an assault at a Rhode Island mall.

Police say the 35-year-old man, of Plainville, Massachusetts, intentionally bumped into a group of girls at the Providence Place Mall July 12 and touched their chest and shoulders. The man was arrested after several of the victims identified him to police.

The man has been charged with five counts of child molestation and one count of sexual assault.

Fall River Public Schools tells the Providence Journal the man was a teacher at James Madison Morton Middle School. School officials say he has been placed on administrative leave, pending the ongoing investigation.