Bellevue teacher charged with child rape, molestation

A teacher at Bellevue’s Newport High school is charged with child rape and molestation.

Stuart Hoffman, 28, is an instructor with the school’s Career and Technical Education program. He was arrested at his Bellevue home on Thursday.

According to charging documents, the victim is an 11-year-old boy. Hoffman has allegedly been abusing the boy since he was 5 years old.

The Department of Homeland Security says Hoffman is expected to face both local and federal charges. Prosecutors have asked that he be held on $1 million bail.

The Bellevue School District released a statement on Friday. In part:

“It is with a heavy heart and the highest level of concern that we have been informed by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) that they have taken into custody a Newport High School teacher for allegations of exploitation of a minor. The suspect has been charged in King County Superior Court.

At this point, we have little information regarding the allegations and understand that investigative and legal processes outside of the District’s control are ongoing. The charges at this point are only allegations.

Our commitment to student safety is unwavering, and if the allegations are founded, we all feel a sense of betrayal. The District has taken aggressive measures to ensure that the employee is not able to use any district resources and has been removed from the workplace as the investigation unfolds.

At this time, we are fully cooperating with HSI’s investigation. As a part of that we are sharing a number that the agency has created for people to report any relevant information.

Please know that we are doing all we can to support anyone that may have been impacted.”