ST. HELENS, Ore. — One current and one former teacher at St. Helens High School have been arrested and charged as part of a months-long sex abuse investigation, the St. Helens Police Department announced Tuesday.
Detectives arrested 46-year-old Eric Stearns in St. Helens and 64-year-old Mark Collins in Beaverton. Stearns is a current teacher at the high school, while Collins is retired.
According to police, the arrests mark the culmination of a two-month investigation prompted by allegations of "historical sexual abuse" at St. Helens High School. After learning of the allegations, detectives conducted interviews and received a subpoena for court records related to the claims, police said.
Police forwarded the investigation to the Columbia County District Attorney's office, leading to an indictment of Stearns on seven counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of third-degree sexual abuse. Collins was indicted on two counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of second-degree attempted sexual abuse.
"It makes me extremely uncomfortable, extremely angry. They knowingly and willingly put my kid and everybody else's child at risk while allowing a predator to remain here teaching," said Tiffany Cooper, whose daughter was enrolled at St. Helens High School.
After learning of the allegations against Stearns, she pulled her freshman daughter out of school and said she would continue learning online.
"I can't trust in the fact that the teachers and staff are going to keep her safe because they allowed a predator to be here for the entire first two months of the school year, knowing that there was an investigation," Cooper said.
It's unclear when the school first learned about the allegations, but officials said that Stearns is on administrative leave.
Court documents identify the victims only by their initials. The Stearns indictment stems from six distinct sets of initials, all identified as minors, while the Collins indictment shows three. Dates of the alleged crimes range from 2015 to as late as 2024, and there is significant overlap between the two teachers — though Collins is now retired, his indictment claims that this behavior may have continued into 2023.
Both Stearns and Collins were taken to the Columbia County Jail following their arrests on Tuesday. Collins has since posted bail.
Stearns appeared in Columbia County Court on Wednesday and entered a not-guilty plea. The judge issued bail in the amount of $150,000 and told Stearns he was not allowed to contact any of the victims, go to St. Helens High School or go to where minors congregate.
"When I come back to the realization, it was like, 'Whoa,' but I also wasn't surprised," said Avlene Moore, a junior at St. Helens High School, of Stearns alleged behavior. "It's hard to explain, but he was really close with students a lot of the time. He didn't really have that professionalism that most teachers have; he was really close."
Stearns will be back in court Nov. 27; Collins' next court date is November 14.
In an initial statement, police said that "additional potential victims" had been identified, and investigators believe that there may be still more unidentified victims. Anyone with more information is asked to contact St. Helens Detectives Edwards and Smith by calling 503-397-1521.
In March, the St. Helens School District agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle a former student's civil rights suit, which alleged that school officials failed to protect female students from the predatory behavior of high school teacher and track coach Kyle Wroblewski.
Wroblewski's sexual abuse of students dated back to 2008, according to court documents. Despite becoming aware of his behavior early on, school administrators only handed Wroblewski a three-day suspension. He remained a teacher and coach at St. Helens High School until his arrest in May 2018.
In September, St. Helens police arrested a youth cheer coach, Anthony Trenkler, on multiple sex abuse charges involving minor victims. Trenkler was not associated with the St. Helens School District, but was employed by a cheer and tumbling gym called Vault Elite.
If you or someone you know have experienced sexual assault and need support, help is available. You can contact the Sexual Assault Resource Center, 503-626-9100. They are located at 4900 Southwest Griffith Drive, Suite 135, Beaverton, OR 97005. The Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network (RAINN) National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached at 800.656.HOPE (4673) or rainn.org. It is available 24/7.