Elorza Interviewed Rec Director Charged with Sexual Assault, Questions Emerge About City’s Hiring

Elorza Interviewed Rec Director Charged with Sexual Assault, Questions Emerge About City’s Hiring

The arrest of a Providence recreation center director this week is the second case in five-plus years of an employee of the Providence Recreation Department being charged with a sex crime against a child.

Mayor Jorge Elorza’s office confirmed that the Mayor personally interviewed Manny Nunez — the director of the John Rollins Rec Center who was arrested on Tuesday on charges of sexual assault.

“The mayor gave Mr. Nunez a short courtesy interview on Thursday, March 25,” said Elorza’s spokesman Ben Smith.

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On Wednesday, GoLocal published the story of a woman who was under the supervision of Nunez in a state-affiliated program for troubled youth, who said he preyed on vulnerable teens.

Pawtucket resident Ash Barboza told GoLocal in an exclusive interview that she is “not surprised” that Nunez was arrested this week. 

According to Elorza’s office, Nunez followed the standard hiring process.

“Recreation Directors and all City employees undergo an extensive hiring process including a criminal background check (BCI). All offers of employment are contingent on prospective hires passing a BCI,” said Smith.

Barboza said that Nunez' behavior had been inappropriate for years. He had her sit in his lap when she was just 13 and he was over ten years her senior, working at the North American Family Institute (NAFI) program at Butler Hospital.

According to Barboza, Nunez was tasked at the facility with “forcibly restraining” females between 11 and 17 — including herself — which she said led to her retaliating with an assault on Nunez that landed her in jail. 

“I thought I left that chapter behind me. I tucked it away in a closet,” said Barbazo, who said she is one of the “few girls who made it out.”

She is now 30, works as an EMT, and has a daughter. 

“But when I saw the story [on GoLocal], my mom said I should talk,” she said. READ THE REST OF BARBOZA'S STORY HERE

 

Second Case of Providence Recreation Department Employee Sexually Assaulting Children

This is not the first incident under the Elorza administration.

In 2015, a longtime high school basketball coach was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage boy. Tyrone Dale had served as a part-time seasonal employee of the Providence public schools and the Providence recreation department.

He coached girls’ basketball at the Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex. He also coached at the West End Recreation Center another one of the city’s facilities. 

Dale also coached the Providence West Elmwood Intruders football team unlimited team when it traveled to Orlando, Florida for the pop warner national championship game. 

Dale, who was 45 years old, hanged himself after the charges were made public.

The hiring process for Nunez was led by Mike Stephens, Director of Recreation for the City of Providence. In addition to his full-time job for the city, Stephens is also a top-tier NCAA men’s basketball referee that has taken him to games across the country. Nunez has organized basketball leagues, coached at Moses Brown, and had been a youth coach.

In 2015, GoLocal unveiled that Stephens earned hundreds of thousands of dollars as a referee.

The city defends the hiring process.

“Upon his selection for the position, the Department of Human Resources requested a background check from the Providence Department of Public Safety. The background check came back on March 30th and Mr. Nunez was cleared to receive an offer of employment,” said Smith.

The Elorza administration fired Nunez after his arrest.