A Southington man is facing charges, accused of sexual assaulting a minor while he worked at a local theater, and this isn’t the first time he’s faced this type of allegation.
“It’s good that they found this out and that he’s no longer working here,” Erin Creaven, of Thomaston, said.
People in Thomaston are shocked to hear a former opera house stage manager is under arrest, charged with sexual assault of a minor.
Thomaston Police say Saturday’s arrest came after Southington police received a complaint, accusing 45-year-old Daniel Checovetes of sexual contact with multiple victims. He was terminated from the Thomaston Opera House in 2018.
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“We would need to just support the victims and their families in any way that they need,” Creaven said.
Chris Peterson, a theater blogger with Onstage Blog who has covered Connecticut amateur theater, said Checovetes was known as an in-demand stage manager and producer to theater directors.
“The word I kept getting was reliable, resourceful, we trusted him which makes this story all the more horrific,” he said.
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According to court documents, three women sued Checovetes in 2020, accusing him of sexual abuse when they were underage and participating in community theaters, including the Thomaston Opera House.
In one lawsuit, a woman says she suffered “injuries of a serious and permanent nature." It also claims the injuries were “the result of the negligence and carelessness” on the part of the theater.
In a statement Checovetes’s attorney, Patrick Tomasiewicz, said:
“Mr. Checovetes is presumed to be innocent under the United States Constitution. We are investigating his case thoroughly and will provide him with a vigorous defense.”
We reached out to Landmark Theater, which runs the Thomaston Opera House, and their lawyer but haven’t heard back.
The cases remain pending in Waterbury court. Checovetes was released on $650,000 bond and is due in court next Tuesday.
