Crime

Brothers working at Mass. elementary school both accused of indecent assault on children

Police said surveillance camera footage showed the brothers touching students inappropriately near the playground.

December 2, 2025

2 minutes to read

Two brothers — both educators at an elementary school in Boylston — pleaded not guilty to indecent assault and battery charges Monday after another staff member accused them of inappropriately touching children.

Benjamin Dillman, 26, and his brother Peter Dillman, 24, were arrested Friday after the Boylston Police Department said it received a report of inappropriate behavior involving children at Boylston Elementary School.

A fifth grade teacher and a Brighton resident, Benjamin Dillman faces four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14, as well as one count of simple assault and battery. Peter Dillman, a paraprofessional from Chelmsford, is charged with two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.

Both appeared in Clinton District Court Monday and entered not guilty pleas. An attorney for the brothers did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

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Although both brothers work at Boylston Elementary School, neither had permission to supervise or be present during the after-school program, according to statements of fact filed in court. Still, police said surveillance camera footage from Nov. 21 showed the brothers touching students inappropriately in the playground area.

According to court documents, Benjamin Dillman allowed a student to sit on his lap and straddle him as he lay on the ground. When the student then laid down on top of him, Benjamin Dillman allegedly made “what appears to be a subtle thrusting ‘humping’ motion.”

Authorities also alleged Benjamin Dillman was seen picking up and “overly embracing” girls in an “intimate” hug. The same evening, he purportedly embraced a male student from behind and massaged the boy’s shoulders for a couple of minutes.

Meanwhile, Peter Dillman was allegedly caught on surveillance footage embracing a girl several times, and placing his groin on the girl’s abdomen. At another point, according to court documents, Peter Dillman allowed a girl to place her hands on his hip and pubic area.

It was not immediately clear whether the Dillmans remain employed at Boylston Elementary School; Albert G. Ganem Jr., the Berlin-Boylston Regional School District’s interim superintendent, did not respond to a request for further information Tuesday.

Judge Jon L. Revelli set bail at $3,000 cash for each brother and ordered them to have no contact with any alleged victims and witnesses, stay away from Boylston Elementary School, and avoid contact with children unless supervised.

Benjamin and Peter Dillman are due back in court Feb. 9.