On Sept. 10, Matthew Johnson of Norfolk was arraigned in Berkshire Superior Court on three criminal charges related to his time while working as a teacher at Miss Hall’s School in Pittsfield in 1993-94. Johnson was indicted by a grand jury on Aug. 20 on one count of assault with intent to rape and two counts of indecent assault and battery over age of 14.Johnson entered a plea of not guilty for all three charges and was released on personal recognizance. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Oct. 28 in Berkshire Superior Court.

Johnson served as a science teacher at Miss Hall’s School from 1993 to 1994. According to the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office, evidence gathered during the investigation shows that Johnson was dismissed from the school in 1994, prior to the end of the school year. The criminal charges all stem from his tenure at the school. The victim was a student attending Miss Hall’s School at the time the alleged crimes occurred.

Johnson is the third former staff member to be indicted as part of investigations into alleged abuse at the Pittsfield private school.
Editor’s note: Johnson is an amateur astronomer who frequently writes on the topic for Norfolk Now.