St Helens teacher indicted on 11 new sex abuse charges, faces 29 total

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Months after a St. Helens teacher was accused of sexually abusing students at his high school, more charges were brought against him this week.

Eric Stearns, a choir teacher at St. Helens High School, was indicted on 11 new charges on Monday — the same day he pleaded not guilty to the new charges as well as the 18 charges previously filed against him. He now faces 29 total charges, according to court records.

The charges involve several instances of second-degree sexual abuse. However, details of what led to these charges are not yet clear.

Stearns was arrested in November along with former teacher Mark Collins on allegations that the two men had abused their students. Since then, an investigation has opened to include several other teachers and administrators accused of sexual abuse and failure to report.

During his Monday hearing, Stearns was denied bail. His trial is expected to begin in early June.

Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.