The father of one of the students accused of hazing and forcible touching on a Wilson High School athletic team bus, insists his son is innocent and is the latest in a growing chorus that says the charges come from an overzealous investigation by state police.
Christopher Sidote Sr.'s son is one of two students awaiting a verdict from Wilson Town Justice George Berger after a trial ended last week.
Sidote, speaking out at a news conference held by the team's coaches, lashed out against the State Police Wednesday saying that the victims were "strong armed" into making accusations against his son, threatened with jail if they didn't bring forth charges.
Sidote's son is one of two former Wilson baseball team members accused of assaulting a fellow player on the team bus in April 2008. A third former student pleaded guilty to child endangerment and avoided trial. That former player is scheduled to be sentenced in August
The remaining students were initially charged with sexual abuse, only to have that downgraded to misdemeanor forcible touching and hazing.
"Let me tell you, I was in the courtroom, and without getting specific.. none of the victims testified under oath that anything happened on that bus," Sidote Sr. said adding that witnesses did speak of being threatened with jail unless charges were brought forth.
"Just the way .. his statement was taken, it was inaccurate," Sidote Sr. says. "There were lies in it."
An internal state police probe is pending, and a civil suit against the school district is being filed by a victim.
Child endangerment charges against suspended coaches Thomas Baia and William Atlas were dismissed on Monday and the investigation that led to charges against them is being probed by state police.
Niagara County Assistant District Attorney Robert Zucco would not comment on the dismissals earlier this week, but did say that the dismissal was "unequivocally not" related to the state police probe.
The coaches have retained a public relations consultant to repair their reputation after the charges rolled through the rural Niagara County community. That consultant, Michael Paul also spoke out against the state police Wednesday, saying that the investigators rushed to judgment and the victims are lying.
Paul is calling for the results of an internal state police investigation to be released once the probe is complete.
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