Former Providence school administrator found guilty of giving unwanted foot massage to boy
WARWICK, R.I. (WLNE) — A former Providence school administrator has been found guilty of giving an unwanted foot massage to a 15-year-old boy last year.
Video presented in court Friday showed Olayinka Alege forcing a foot massage on the 15-year-old at a fitness center in Warwick.
Alege, 40, was charged with simple assault and battery.
The assault at Edge Fitness happened just before 5 p.m. on April 20. That’s when the victim said Alege, who he did not know at the time, came uncomfortably close to ask about his sneakers before laying down and ripping off his shoe, forcing him to receive a foot massage.
“In a turf area the size of this courtroom…this man got within inches of a 15-year-old boy.”
The victim said in court he never expected this to happen at the gym and spoke up in the hopes it never happens to anyone else. “This man, eerily close, did those three acts: grabbed the shoe, pulled the sock, touched the foot,” described the victim’s lawyer, Kerry Rafanelli. “In a turf area the size of this courtroom..this man got within inches of a 15-year-old boy.”
Yet, Alege denied ever touching the 15-year-old and told police he did not remember the details.
“There was no unwanted touching. I didn’t take his shoe or do anything to him,” he said in a video of Alege’s initial police interrogation played in court.
Instead, Alege created a GoFundMe page that has raised over $5,000 and accused Warwick police of discrimination.
His lawyer argued the video shown in court doesn’t show Alege actually touching the victim’s foot.
Alege at the time had been working as an administrator for Providence Public Schools and resigned shortly after the incident.
Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green also called for the resignation of Superintendent Harrison Peters, who hired Alege. He later stepped down as superintendent.
In court, Alege was given a no contact order with the victim or any member of the family. He did not immediately appeal this decision, and declined to speak when given the opportunity to do so in court.
