By Michael Donoghue, Vermont News First
A Windsor County man, who heads an international LGBTQ non-profit, is facing a felony charge of lewd and lascivious conduct following an incident at the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich, town police said Friday.
Ethan Felson, 59, of Quechee is due in Vermont Superior Court in White River Junction on Dec. 17 at 8:30 a.m., Norwich Police said Friday.
Felson was appointed as Executive Director of A Wider Bridge in July 2020, news reports show.
A Wider Bridge says it was created in 2010 to provide opportunities for LGBTQ people in North America to build meaningful relationships with Israel and LGBTQ Israelis.
A Wider Bridge, which has its main headquarters in New York City, was founded by Arthur Slepian, after a homophobic shooting that left two dead in Bar Noar, a gay bar in Tel Aviv, news stories noted.
The victim in the Norwich case is in his mid-20’s, police said.
Attempts to reach Felson for a comment on the police citation were unsuccessful.
Felson is listed as admitted to the bar associations in Connecticut and Massachusetts on his LinkedIn profile. He is a graduate of the University of Connecticut Law School in 1996 and completed his undergraduate at Lehigh University in 1987.
Norwich Police said it was notified on Oct. 15 about a possible sexual assault that occurred at the Montshire Museum about 10 days earlier, Chief Matt Romei said in a community release.
He wrote that after an investigation it was determined that an older man had committed lewd and lascivious conduct against a younger man at the museum.
The police chief said after consultation with Windsor County State’s Attorney Ward Goodenough a decision was made to order Felson into criminal court next month.
Norwich Police said it appreciated the help received from the Windsor County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Vermont State Police Special Investigations Unit during the case.
Also assisting in the investigation was the Multidisciplinary Interview and Training Center at WISE in Lebanon, N.H., which works with crime victims.
The Montshire Museum bills itself as a hands-on interactive science center with exhibits on nature, technology, astronomy, and the physical sciences.
Felson’s Linked In profile said he served earlier as both the assistant director and later as director of the Jewish Community Relations Council in Hartford, Conn. from 1988 to 2001. He moved on to be the Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the Israel Action Network, the Jewish Federations of North America from 2001 to 2016.
Felson was executive director of the Israel Action Network from 2016 to 2020 when he joined A Wider Bridge.