Berkshire DA appoints special investigator to explore history of Miss Hall’s School sexual misconduct allegations

According to a spokesperson, first-term Berkshire DA Timothy Shugrue has tapped retired Detective Lieutenant Brian Berkel of the State Police Detective Unit to serve as special investigator into allegations of misconduct at Miss Hall’s School. Former students of the private all-girls school have come forward with allegations that since-resigned history teacher Matthew Rutledge groomed, abused, and manipulated them into sexual relationships over the course of his 30-plus year tenure. WAMC’s reporting into the situation revealed that Rutledge’s behavior was well known on campus across the decades by students and staff alike. Berkel, who retired in 2021, serves as the board of trustees president of the Berkshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention per the group’s website. His LinkedIn page says he serves as the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Coordinator for the Berkshire County Kids' Place & Violence Prevention Center, a nonprofit co-founded by Shugrue, as well as an investigator for the Juvenile Court Department. The school has pledged to cooperate with investigations.