New Hampshire

Former Prep School Teacher Convicted of Sexual Assault Allowed to Keep Pension

A Chicago-area teacher who avoided jail time for his conviction of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy in New Hampshire nearly 45 years ago will be able to keep his pension.

The Daily Herald reports that 75-year-old Arthur Peekel of Palatine pleaded guilty to the sexual assault in a plea deal earlier this month. His yearlong jail sentence was suspended as part of the deal, but he must pay a $1,200 fine and register as a sex offender for the next 10 years.

Teachers' Retirement System spokesman Dave Urbanek says he can retain his pension of nearly $76,400 a year because the charges against him were misdemeanors.

Peekel was an admissions officer at Phillips Exeter Academy in 1973 when prosecutors say he assaulted a prospective student. He then left to teach in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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