Protective order issued in former IMS athletic director’s sexual assault case

TORRINGTON — A judge issued a protective order Thursday, Aug. 27, in the criminal case against Maxwell Abendroth, the former Indian Mountain School athletic director and gym teacher charged with three felonies involving alleged sexual contact with a 15-year-old student.

The court identified the person protected by the order only by initials and did not disclose the individual’s relationship to Abendroth or the pending case.

The charges against Abendroth were not otherwise addressed during the brief proceeding in Torrington Superior Court.

The order prohibits Abendroth, 32, from contacting the protected person by telephone, electronically, in writing, or through a third party.

The judge told Abendroth that the order can be modified only by a Superior Court judge and remains binding even if the protected person attempts to contact him.

“No contact really means no contact,” the judge said, explaining that a violation would constitute a new felony offense.

The order also requires Abendroth to surrender or transfer any firearms and ammunition in his possession if he has not already done so.

Abendroth declined to comment when approached by a Lakeville Journal reporter outside the courthouse.

Abendroth is charged with fourth-degree sexual assault and two counts of risk of injury to a minor stemming from alleged conduct at the Lakeville school in January.

He was arrested Aug. 18 after surrendering at Connecticut State Police Troop B in North Canaan. He was released on $50,000 bond.

A 14-page arrest warrant affidavit provides further details about the allegations and Indian Mountain School’s response.

According to the affidavit, an IMS administrator making rounds Jan. 25 entered Abendroth’s office and saw him and the victim standing close together in a way the administrator considered “unsettling” and “odd.” The administrator reported that Abendroth pushed the student by the shoulder, causing her to fall over a coffee table.

The school’s director of student health and wellness interviewed the student and Abendroth the following day.

The student initially denied that anything inappropriate had occurred. She said she had been discussing exercises for back problems with Abendroth and that he had never made her uncomfortable. The school official reported that the student did not appear distressed.

Abendroth told the school that the student had come to discuss a rehabilitation protocol and that he nudged her, inadvertently causing her to fall, according to the affidavit.

Administrators continued investigating and reviewed communications between Abendroth and the student. They found text messages dating to Nov. 20, 2025, that appeared romantic, although the initial review found nothing indicating a physical relationship, the affidavit states.

The school reported the matter to the state Department of Children and Families on Jan. 27. State police began investigating later that day. IMS placed Abendroth on administrative leave that day and fired him shortly afterward.

The school provided investigators with 40 files containing communications between Abendroth and the student. A DCF caseworker combined the files into a document totaling approximately 383 pages.

State police said Abendroth sent the student 133 emails from his school account between Nov. 20 and Jan. 22. Investigators also obtained letters and handwritten notes given to the student.

In one letter quoted in the warrant, Abendroth allegedly wrote that he felt himself being drawn toward the student and sought opportunities to see her around campus. He acknowledged that emailing her, leaving notes, and learning her schedule could get him “into a lot of trouble.”

“We do need to be careful because there are some observant people around,” he allegedly wrote.

Another email proposed using coded messages to select dates when the two could communicate.

Abendroth, according to the affidavit, would also leave handwritten notes in her cubby. “Hey, you look beautiful this morning,” one note read. Another said: “I wish it would be just you and me in my office.”

After initially denying inappropriate conduct, the student later told a DCF caseworker that she and Abendroth had kissed twice, according to the affidavit.

During a Feb. 3 forensic interview, she described several alleged encounters.

She said that during one encounter in a dark study-hall room, Abendroth grabbed her and kissed her, placed his hands on her buttocks over her clothing, and pulled her close.

During another, she alleged that he put his hands under her shirt, unclipped her bra, and touched her skin beneath the bra.

The student also provided a different account of the Jan. 25 encounter.

She alleged that she was on top of Abendroth in his office while he lifted her shirt and kissed her stomach. When the administrator entered, she said, Abendroth pushed her away, causing her to fall over the coffee table. She was not injured.

The student described an earlier incident in which Abendroth allegedly picked her up, pulled her close, and kissed her. Investigators found an email that appeared to refer to that encounter.

“I’m sorry that I scared you earlier when I picked you up,” the email stated. “I kinda just lost control and wanted to be close to you.”

Head of School Lisa Sun told families in an e-mail that IMS acted immediately after learning of the conduct, supported the student, notified authorities, and conducted an internal investigation.

Sun said that investigation found no evidence of misconduct involving other students but encouraged anyone with information to contact the school or police.

Abendroth worked at IMS from August 2016 until January 2026. He became director of the athletic department in 2019.