WINCHESTER, Connecticut — Former Winchester Board of Education member Shayne Deschamps was arrested for the second time Wednesday after violating a protective order involving a student that police determined he had an inappropriate relationship with, police said.
According to police, they received a call about the violation at 7 a.m. and pulled him over on the roadway after an officer spotted him driving in a car with the protected person inside.
Deschamps, who was previously been charged with risk of injury after an investigation into his relationship with the minor, appeared in Torrington court with an additional charge for violation of the protective order.
The investigation began at the beginning of November 2023 when an anonymous caller notified police of the relationship between Deschamps and the victim, a teenage student in town, which had been reportedly going on for months.
Deschamp was initially serving on the Winchester Board of Education but resigned in January, according to the superintendent's office.
According to the arrest warrant, the victim was known to Deschamps and his family, and the 26-year-old served as a "mentor figure" to the victim.
The warrant continued to state that several of the victim's friends had seen illicit text messages and photographs sent back and forth between Deschamp and the victim. There were even reports of trips to Cape Cod and Deschamp visiting the victim while they were on a trip with friends to New Jersey.
Deschamps also told police during an interview that he had taken the victim to Six Flags, taking them to medical appointments and volleyball games, and admitted to talking with them daily by text and on the phone.
Through multiple interviews, police learned through several witnesses that Deschamps' messages were easily noticed due to the image that went with them.
When police interviewed the victim, alongside their father, the victim reportedly denied the relationship.
According to the warrant, Deschamps' wife initially told police that Deschamp and the victim had a close relationship due to a similar upbringing and that he viewed the victim as their child due to his mentorship position in the victim's life.
Through multiple interviews and follow-ups with DCF, the victim, their father, and Deschamps were told that there was to be no more contact until the investigation was over but the pair still saw each other and spoke, according to the warrant.
Deschamp denied the relationship and refused to turn over phone data and take a polygraph test.
Deschamps was eventually charged with risk of injury to a minor at the beginning of February.
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Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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