ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A former substitute teacher in the Wheatland-Chili Central School District is accused of inappropriately touching multiple elementary school students.

Robert Petit, 40, of Chili, is charged with 11 counts of sexual abuse and six counts of endangering the welfare of a child. He is being held in the Monroe County Jail on $500,000 bail. He is due back in court in mid-August.

The investigation started back in March of 2023 when three students reported cases of inappropriate touching outside of their clothing.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office says the inappropriate touching happened on four occasions during the school day. A sheriff’s office investigator and the Bivona Child Advocacy Center worked to interview the victims and their families. They also interviewed staff members and Petit’s former employers.

Parents who News10NBC’s Bret Vetter spoke with are shaken up by what happened. They want police to do whatever it takes to help victims across the district.

“I really hope that this doesn’t occur again — or maybe background check a little bit closer, or more,” said Jeannine Gullo, mother of a student at T.J. Connor Elementary School in the Wheatland-Chili district. She said she is horrified to hear about what happened.

“You truly — you send your kids to school to be safe and someone comes in and makes that environment not safe; it’s scary,” Gullo said.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference on the matter Friday afternoon. That full press conference can be watched through the media player below:

After two weeks of investigating, during which deputies say no other victims were identified, investigators presented the allegations against Petit to the District Attorney’s Office, which then presented the case to a grand jury. Over a year later, on Wednesday, deputies received the sealed indictment and arrested Petit that evening.

We asked the Sheriff’s Office why it took so long to notify the public about Petit.

“We’re talking to the District Attorney’s office; we’re talking to other law enforcement partners. None of us think this is acceptable, but unfortunately we need to work within the system and we’re looking at it, trying to do what we can.” Chief Deputy Michael Fowler said.

Fowler says he wishes there was a way to inform the public sooner, but once s case is sent to a grand jury, police cannot release any information.

“A lot of work has to go into these. You are talking about children that have to be interviewed. You are talking about health care workers that have to participate in these interviews and have to be prepared for testimony,” Fowler said.

News10NBC’s Bret Vetter reached out to the Petit family on Friday, but no one answered the phone.

Gullo says she is glad Petit is behind bars but wishes she could send her son to school without having to worry.

“It’s scary as a parent thinking all day, ‘Is my kid going to be okay? Are they going to come home safe? There are so many things that run through your mind. It makes it hard to trust anybody,” she said.

The Monroe County District Attorney’s Office released the following statement addressing the year it took prior to deputies arresting Petit:

“Child sexual abuse cases are challenging in many ways. Because of the dynamics of child sexual abuse, they are not quick investigations or prosecutions. Our office uses the child first method of handling all cases, ensuring that we put the victims first.  It is not our policy to rush or push a victim of child sexual abuse into testifying before they are ready both emotionally and mentally. The next court date for Robert Petit is August 15, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. before Supreme Court Justice Judith A. Sinclair.”

Investigators say they’ve only identified three victims so far and are asking anyone with information to call 911. Petit was arraigned and taken to the Monroe County Jail on $500,000 bail.

A statement from the sheriff’s office says: 

“The sheriff acknowledges that the delay of over twelve months in this process of notifying the public is unacceptable. We have created a tracking mechanism so that we can follow through with our public safety partners so that an announcement can be made as soon as legally possible.”

The Arc of Monroe confirmed Friday that Petit formerly was employed there “for a short time,” and said the agency followed all Office for People with Developmental Disabilities regulations when hiring him.

While investigators say no other victims have been identified beyond the three students, they say to call 911 if there is more information about Petit.

4 p.m. broadcast: