Judge Acquits Rome Teacher Accused Of Touching Student

A Rome public school teacher was recently acquitted after being accused of inappropriately making contact with one of his students, his attorney tells the Utica Observer Dispatch.

Mark Bratge was a teacher at Strough Middle School who had been charged with endangering the welfare of child following an alleged incident in November of 2015. He was found not guilty after a non-jury trial. His attorney Frank Policelli commenting to the O-D, ''Nine months later, where does my client go to get his reputation back?''

The newspaper's story noted that the 'victim claimed she was painting a shelf built in class when Bratge handed her a sponge, and moved behind her, making genital contact just above her buttocks.'