Nova Scotia Crime: Teacher faces multiple serious charges, prohibited from public places after alleged assaults at Riverton school

Chilling developments have emerged from Riverton, Nova Scotia, where a schoolteacher was arrested and charged on Wednesday (September 23, 2026) for assaulting a student. According to police, a teacher in Pictou is now facing several serious charges, including sexual assault, following the investigation. The incident came to light on September 10, 2026, when the RCMP received a report that a teacher, identified as Matthew Donahoe, 53, of Bible Hill, had allegedly assaulted a student at Dr. W.A. MacLeod Consolidated School, a pre-primary to Grade 8 school in Riverton, according to a Pictou County District RCMP press release.

Pictou County District RCMP has charged Donahoe with assault and other offences. He has been charged with assault (four counts), assault by choking (two counts), assault with a weapon, sexual assault, sexual interference, and administering a noxious thing, the release stated. Donahoe will appear at Pictou Provincial Court on September 24.

Police also stated that they have identified other victims of similar alleged assaults that occurred in this school year. “Investigators are aware that Chignecto Central Regional Centre for Education (CCRCE) administration removed Donahoe’s access to the school and to students at the time of the initial report of an assault,” the RCMP news release said.


Calling charges against the teacher “deeply troubling.” CCRCE said that it “takes these matters very seriously,” as quoted by CTV News. “We will have support available today, continuing into next week for students,” it added. “The school has notified families that the individual has been placed on leave as the RCMP continues its investigation.”

On Thursday (September 24, 2026), Donahoe appeared in Pictou provincial court and was released on conditions including a curfew, and he’s not allowed to contact or be within 500 meters of a home, school, or work of 10 named individuals, CTV News reported.

He is also prohibited from leaving the province, possessing weapons, or being in the presence of anyone who may be under the age of 18. Furthermore, he was also prohibited from any public park, school, daycare centre, swimming pool, playground, skating rink, or community centre where youths might be. He is set to appear next in Pictou provincial court on October 19, 2026.


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