Epstein Link, Decades Of Sexual Abuse Allegations At Prestigious MI School Detailed In Report

A new report details decades of sexual abuse allegations at Interlochen Center for the Arts in northern Michigan school.

The 97-page investigation by Massachusetts-based Sanghavi Law Office found that nearly 50 adults, including staff members and Jeffrey Epstein, sexually groomed and abused more than 70 students.

Other accused abusers include former board members, administrators, camp counselors, trustees, donors and visiting artists, according to the report.

The report traces the incidents back to the 1950s, though some claims happened as recently as the 2000s.

Details Of Abuse

One former student told investigators a former teacher spent a lot of time with her and often left notes for her, including one that said, “When do we get started?’”

She told investigators the teacher would take her to out places such as restaurants, including ones where alcohol was served, and that he purchased alcohol for her.

One night, she told investigators, she went to a sleepover at the teacher's house with other people. Once everyone else went to bed, the girl told investigators she was on a couch and the teacher gave her a back rub while she was wearing a “flimsy” nightgown. The teacher's actions slowly progressed and culminated with the teacher performing oral sex on her and digitally penetrating her, according to the report.

Another former student told investigators that a separate faculty member "made 'all kinds of innuendoes' towards her" and later pinned her against a wall and French kissed her during a party in the 1960s. She told an investigator she could feel that he had an erection.

Another alum told investigators that a camp staff member asked her out on a date, took her to his apartment, and then tried to take her clothes off.

She told investigators the staff member "got aggressive" and undid her bra, kept putting his hands on her breasts, took off her dress and wanted to remove her girdle, but that she told him not to, and he did not.

She then got dressed herself and asked the staff member to take her home, according to the report.

Who Is Implicated

Most of the accused abusers are not named in the report, either to protect survivors privacy or to not interfere with any ongoing or future investigations.

A few individuals who are named include:

• Thomas Clower, a former arts faculty member at the school from 2003-05. He was convicted of criminal sexual conduct in 2005 after Interlochen fired him and reported him to police.
• Byron Hanson, former administrator and longtime faculty member from 1960 through 2015. He is dead.
• John "Jack" Hood, former faculty member and administrator from 1963-79. He continued to serve in seasonal positions until 2004.
• Charlie McWhorter, former trustee at Interlochen from 1970-99.

Current school officials said they have provided names of those accused in the report to Grand Traverse County authorities to determine what steps, if any, might be taken. They added that none are currently employed at the school.

"On behalf of Interlochen, we are deeply sorry for the harm experienced by members of our community and extend our apologies to those impacted by abuse at Interlochen," Interlochen President Trey Devey and board Chair Barrett Rollins said in a joint statement. "We also want to say clearly: Interlochen will not tolerate predators or those who enable them."

Epstein's Connection To The Camp

Epstein attended the school's summer arts camp as a youth and went on to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to Interlochen in the 1990s and 2000s.

The report accuses Epstein of using his donor status and repeated visits to befriend female students, often promising scholarships or career opportunities before sexually exploiting them.

He is mentioned 52 times in the report, while his sex-trafficking partner Ghislaine Maxwell's name appears 13 times.

Court documents showed that Epstein met his first known victim at the camp in 1994.

• Related — Epstein Met First Known Victim At MI Summer Camp: Court Docs

New Safety Protocols

In light of the report, school officials said they plan to implement a series of changes that will include better reporting for sexual misconduct, counseling and other resources.

They will also implement mandatory reporting requirements, background checks, trainings and reviews to ensure these practices are utilized effectively.

"The abuse described in the report is heartbreaking and is contrary to everything Interlochen stands for," school officials said. "We cannot change the past, but we can be unequivocal in stating that this behavior has no place at the Interlochen we care for, not then, not now, and not in the future."