Kontakt: Beth Stone Beth Stone 508-584-8120
BROCKTON – A Whitman man who operated a circus school was found guilty of assaulting two juveniles, then 15 and 16 years old, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced.
On Wednesday, after a week-long trial, a jury deliberated over two hours before finding Steven A. Santos, 48, of Whitman, guilty of five counts of Indecent Assault and Battery, 14 or Older and one count of a lesser included offense of Assault and Battery. Santos was acquitted on one count of Assault and Battery. Brockton Superior Court Judge William White Jr. released Santos on a GPS with home confinement pending sentencing. The Commonwealth requested that Santos be held without bail until his sentencing hearing.
In October 2020, a juvenile victim came forward to report that they had been sexually assaulted by their circus coach, Steven Santos. Whitman Police conducted a several months-long investigation into the allegations, at which point, another juvenile victim came forward to report similar sexual assault allegations. Santos operated, “Simply Circus,” a business in Newton that offered circus coaching and acrobatics training. The investigation found that in May 2020 through August 2020, on separate occasions, Santos sexually assaulted the two former students at his home in Whitman.
A hearing will be held on the case on March 26, 2026.
Assistant District Attorney Taramarie Pellerin prosecuted the case alongside Victim Witness Advocate Carina Freitas. Whitman Police Department Detectives Peter Aitken and Patrick Burtt-Henderson investigated the case and provided valuable assistance.