SEYMOUR – A member of the Seymour Board of Education was charged July 11 with disorderly conduct and first-degree trespass after allegedly making inappropriate sexual remarks to a minor at a baseball game.

John Fredrick Hatfield, 40, of Patton Avenue, was scheduled to be arraigned on the two misdemeanor charges July 16 in Hartford.

Hatfield’s lawyer, Trent A. LaLima, of BPS Lawyers in East Hampton, emailed The Valley Indy and declined to comment.

“I have no comment on the case at this time, and we will respond to the case through the court process only,” LaLima wrote.

According to an incident report from Hartford police, officers were sent to check out a disturbance at about 8 p.m. July 11 at Dunkin Park, where the Hartford Yard Goats were playing the Binghamton Rumble Ponies in a minor league baseball game.

According to the report, a 22-year-old employee in the stadium’s merchandise store contacted stadium security and said that Hatfield had made sexually inappropriate comments to an underage employee in the shop.

The 22-year-old employee said that she had seen Hatfield talking to the underage employee, and that the underaged employee silently mouthed the words “help me” to her.

The juvenile told cops that Hatfield approached him in the shop and asked how old he was, and told the juvenile he was a teacher. Hatfield is listed as a social studies teacher on the Platt Tech website.

Hatfield allegedly pointed to an underage female employee and asked the juvenile if he was “having or attempting to have sex” with her.

“The juvenile said that Hatfield then began pointing out other women in the stadium passing their location, asking him his thoughts on the women’s breasts,” according to the incident report.

Upon finding out what happened, the stadium’s security director told Hatfield he was no longer allowed in the stadium. Hatfield was “argumentative and refused to leave despite several clear instructions to do so,” according to the report.

A Hartford police sergeant on scene said he ordered Hatfield to leave several times, but that Hatfield “did not immediately follow his commands.”

The sergeant said that Hatfield was “noticeably intoxicated” and continued to be “loud and belligerent” while leaving the stadium. The sergeant said several patrons, including children, “appeared disturbed and alarmed by Hatfield’s behavior.”

The sergeant stated that “Hatfield began standing in the roadway, continuing to shout and cause a disturbance.”

He was then taken into custody, along with his friend, Orange Police Department Sgt. Frank Koshes.

Hatfield was processed at the department’s booking facility and released on a promise to appear in court. His next court date is July 31 in Hartford.

Platt Technical High School, where Hatfield teaches, is part of the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System (CTECS).

Kerry Markey, the director of communications for the school system, released a statement saying the district is aware of the arrest.

“We are aware of the arrest and are reviewing the matter in accordance with district policies. We are taking this matter very seriously, however, because this is a personnel matter, we cannot comment further,” she wrote.

Hatfield and the students at Platt Tech are on summer break.

Hatfield has been a member of the school board since 2011. He has an extensive community service record, including a stint on the TEAM Inc. board of directors. 

In 2015 he was the top vote getter among four school board candidates. 

In 2024 he was awarded the Karen Karen R. Stanek “Once A Wildcat, Always A Wildcat” Memorial Award for his contributions to the community as a Seymour High School graduate.