LI teacher charged with sexually abusing children at upstate camp, police say

A teacher with the Hewlett-Woodmere school district has been charged with sexually abusing five minors after allegations were made against him at the upstate camp where he has worked as a counselor for the past 33 summers, State Police said.

Dylan Stolz, 51, of Little Neck, Queens, was charged Wednesday with five counts of first-degree sexual abuse and ordered held at the Warren County jail on bail of $100,000 bond or $50,000 cash, State Police said. Hewlett-Woodmere placed him on "administrative reassignment," the school district said.

The arrest came after an investigation that began June 28 after officials received complaints at Brant Lake Camp in Brant Lake, about 80 miles north of Albany, State Police said.

The camp reported the allegations to State Police, a spokesman, Trooper Mark Cepiel, said Friday.

“The camp has been nothing but cooperative,” Cepiel said.

He declined to provide specifics about where the alleged crimes took place, other than saying they were in the jurisdiction of the Town of Horicon in Warren County. Brant Lake is within the town.

He said Stolz was charged with sexual abuse under a section of the law dealing with victims younger than 11 years old.

A Hewlett-Woodmere school district website identifies Stolz as a reading teacher at the Ogden Elementary School in Valley Stream. In a letter sent to parents, the district confirmed that it was "aware of allegations of inappropriate behavior committed by a Hewlett-Woodmere staff member" in capacity as a camp counselor.

"The Hewlett-Woodmere School District immediately placed this individual on administrative reassignment pending the outcome of this matter," superintendent Ralph Marino said in the letter, which names Stolz. "Hewlett-Woodmere Public Schools has no higher priority than the safety of our students."

The sports-oriented Brant Lake Camp for boys 7 to 15 years old was founded in 1916 and says on its website that it is one of the oldest privately-owned camps in the United States.

The summer program is seven weeks, June 23 to Aug. 10, and costs $12,775, the website says. There are more than 100 counselors for about 350 boys.

Camp officials did not return calls for comment Friday.

It was not clear whether Stolz had an attorney. His relatives could not be reached Friday.

Officials asked that anyone with information about Stolz "or any other crime he may have committed" contact investigators at 518-745-1035.

"This investigation is continuing," Cepiel said.

With Ellen Yan