DARIEN, CT -- A high school teacher has been suspended with pay after he was cited for public indecency at an LA Fitness club.

Douglas Paulsen, the English department coordinator at Darien (CT) High School, was informed of the suspension today by Darien schools superintendent Douglas Fiftal, according to The Stamford Advocate. The school district is investigating the incident.

Paulsen, 58, was given a misdemeanor charge on Nov. 24 after a 28-year-old man complained that he saw Paulsen masturbating in the shower while the complainant rinsed off in a nearby shower at the LA Fitness in Norwalk, CT, police say.

On Monday, Paulsen was arraigned in state superior court but did not enter a plea, Paulsen’s attorney told the newspaper. Paulsen, who denies the charge, is scheduled back in court on Jan. 12.

In a similar incident in February 2006, Paulsen was punched in the face in the men’s sauna of the Norwalk (CT) YMCA by a man who told police Paulsen began masturbating while watching him. Paulsen had to have his jaw wired shut, suffered facial fractures and a broken nose, the newspaper reported. The man, who was arrested for second-degree assault, declined to press charges against Paulsen.

Paulsen, who also is the faculty adviser for the Gay/Straight Alliance student club at Darien High, has been teaching in Darien for 33 years.

Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2012 Penton Media Inc.