6 The Courier sun • january 2, 2014 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com Parks employee arrested over alleged sex abuse BY LIAM LA GUERE lguerre@queenscourier.com A Woodhaven resident and longtime Parks Department employee was arrested last week and charged with three counts of sexual abuse stemming from his alleged actions five years ago. Rene Herrera, 57, who oversees such green spaces as Juniper Valley Park, allegedly sexually abused an 11-year-old girl on three separate occasions in 2008, cops said. The mother of the girl, who is now 16, reported the incidents to the police on Saturday, December 28. Herrera has worked with the Parks Department for about 25 years, according to the Juniper Park Civic Association (JPCA), and became a regional manager in 2002. He is married and has three children. People that worked with Herrera said that he is a good person. “I’ve worked with him on many projects. I’ve known him for a long time, he’s a team player,” said Simcha Waisman, vice president of the Richmond Hill Block Association. “Not reporting the incidents From 2008 to now? Something is wrong with that.” And Herrera has been very helpful in managing the parks in his districts, according to JPCA. Woodhaven resident and long-time Parks Department employee Rene Herrera was arrested and charged with three counts of sexual abuse of an 11-year-old girl. “He has been efficient and responsive to any issues we may have, always attempting to solve any problems that are reported to him,” said Lorraine Sciulli of JPCA. “He is readily available by phone if we have the need to get in touch with him quickly. He has always been cooperative and helpful to the JPCA.” Herrera has been suspended without pay, according to a Parks Department spokesperson. NEW QUESTIONS IN SEARCH FOR AVONTE BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com It has been almost four months since Avonte Oquendo disappeared and new information about the day the autistic teen went missing has surfaced, leaving larger question marks, according to the boy’s family attorney. Avonte was last seen at the Center Boulevard School at 1-50 51st Avenue in Long Island City around 12:38 p.m. on Friday, October 4. There have been conflicting reports on how the Rego Park teen, who cannot verbally communicate and is supposed to be supervised at all times, managed to leave the school. According to a Department of Education occurrence report obtained by David Perecman, an attorney for Avonte’s family, a timeline shows what happened before, during and after the boy went missing. The 14-year-old boy was part of a class with three people watching the group. The number of children in the class is still unknown, according to the report. The group entered the stairwell on the fifth floor and then exited on the second floor, but in the middle of the descent Avonte got away from the group and made his way to the first floor. The boy is then seen on surveillance cameras walking by the security desk twice before leaving through the side door, on Center Boulevard, which had been left opened, according to the report. A few minutes later, a school safety agent closed the door. According to the report, the boy’s teachers did not notice him missing until 12:40 p.m. and did not notify the assistant principal until 12:56 p.m. She then went to the safety agent at the main desk who told her she had not seen Avonte leave the school, but instead emphasized that she had seen the boy go up the stairs. Perecman said the safety agent’s story does not match the surveillance tape that shows the boy leaving the school. He also said the agent initially told Avonte’s grandmother she had not stopped the boy from leaving the school because she didn’t know he was disabled. “It’s really very distressing to think these are the people watching over your children,” said Perecman. “This place is dysfunctional. These kids should be watching the teachers.” The timeline report also shows the school administration did not know Avonte had left the building until almost two hours later because they did not have the security codes needed to access the surveillance tapes, according to Perecman. Perecman also said a lockdown was not put into effect until 2 p.m. because the assistant principal’s initial request for a “soft lockdown” was denied to make sure they did not “upset other students.” The Department of Education did not respond for comment as of press time. Open House Date January 8, 2014, at 9am Please call ahead before coming A World Leader in Education UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (Founded in 1947) Queens Campus (Grades K - 8) Continuation of program at our Manhattan Campus High School Exceptional levels of student achievement recognized in the USA and worldwide • Rigorous curriculum leading to International Baccalaureate at high school level st of the 2013 THE QUEENS QueensCourier.com Place • Outstanding, multicultural music and art programs • Integrated learning using advanced technology • French and Spanish taught daily from kindergarten • Individualized early years instruction in reading, writing and math • Culturally diverse community with supportive home school partnerships • Flexible after care and after school activities programs For financial aid information and a tour of our Campus, call Admissions at 718-658-6166 173-53 Croydon Road, Jamaica Estates, NY 11432 | www.unis.org
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