A worker at a Burlington detox facility faces charges that he sexually assaulted a client last summer.
Burlington police say Robert Trepanier assaulted the woman in a bathroom at the Howard Center's ACT 1 detox facility on July 18. The incident was reported to police on Dec. 23 and assigned to the Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations (CUSI).
“Due to the seriousness of the report, the investigation moved rapidly,” police said in a statement.
Trepanier was arrested Thursday morning. Police say he has a criminal record that includes burglary, unlawful mischief, furnishing alcohol to a minor, assault and robbery with a weapon and buying and selling stolen property.
The Howard Center said Trepanier had worked at the center since February 2014. "Based on the information CUSI has brought to light and consistent with our commitment to client protection, the employee in question is no longer employed with Howard Center," the organization said in a statement.
Update: Dec. 31, 12:41. This post was updated to include information from the Howard Center.
