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A teacher and coach worked at Caribou High School for more than two years after district officials and police heard allegations that he had engaged in sexual misconduct.
John Habeeb, an ed tech and well-known tennis coach, was first accused of sexual abuse by a student in 2023. He was not arrested until late 2025 on charges stemming from the same incident, according to a series of documents the Bangor Daily News/The County obtained through public records requests.
The records, which include police reports, emails and employment documentation, show the extent and nature of the claims when first reported and how the situation developed when the allegations resurfaced last year.
There is no indication that the school placed Habeeb on administrative leave as it first investigated the allegations, a common practice in situations involving misconduct, and one that is now mandatory under a Maine law enacted last month.
He remained at the school until this February. As his case proceeded, another individual spoke to police about a sexual assault by Habeeb.
Habeeb died by suicide on April 20, less than a month after pleading not guilty to unlawful sexual touching and assault of a minor in Caribou District Court, and the case against him was dismissed as a result.
Jane McCall, superintendent of the district that oversees Caribou High School, did not directly reference Habeeb in response to questions about what the school did when it learned of the allegations, but said that it “immediately begins an investigation” after a complaint is submitted.
“If the school district is unable to complete the investigation due to limited accessibility to individuals involved or a lack of cooperation with school administration, the matter is referred to local law enforcement for further investigation,” McCall said.
The allegations
In August 2023, an Aroostook County teenager arrived at Caribou High School for the first day of classes. Once the day ended, she did not return to the school for months.
By the time the calendar inched toward winter, Caribou’s administrators had repeatedly contacted the girl’s mother about her truancy.
In a meeting with a counselor and the school’s special education director, the mother finally disclosed why her daughter had stopped coming to school. The daughter claimed Habeeb had inappropriately touched her during the previous school year.
When notified of the allegations by Caribou High School Principal Jamie Selfridge, Habeeb said that he was alone with the student in a classroom once the prior year after a teacher called out sick, Selfridge told police. Habeeb told Selfridge of a separate instance where the student and a friend were walking by his home and he had them stand on his porch to escape a rain shower.
On a third occasion, Habeeb said the girl knocked on his door and he refused to answer, never letting her know he was home, according to police documents.
On Nov. 21, the Caribou Police Department dispatched an officer to the school on a referral from the Department of Health and Human Services. The officer learned about the scope of the allegations from Selfridge and spoke with the girl’s mother. Her daughter, the mother said, did not want to talk about the incident.
Ten minutes later, the mother called back to say that her daughter would think about talking to the police. Just a week later, having not heard back, officer Kevin St. Peter closed the case “due to a non-cooperating victim and no other information to go on. Will reopen if they contact us,” he wrote in the incident report.
Habeeb continued to teach and coach at the school for the next two years until his arrest last December, after the victim spoke to police.
As the school and police first investigated the allegations, there’s no indication Habeeb was suspended or placed on administrative leave. The new state law, which passed the legislature by a near-unanimous vote, makes that a mandatory first step “necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety.”
Most Maine schools already followed that practice.
In 2020, Cape Elizabeth High School placed a teacher on administrative leave immediately after sexual misconduct allegations surfaced, even though there was no police investigation.
Even in cases where allegations were found to be false, such as complaints against a former Lewiston Elementary School principal in 2023, the accused is still typically separated from the school as an investigation unfolds.
Caribou police arrested Habeeb on New Year’s Eve and charged him with unlawful sexual touching and assault of a minor, both Class D misdemeanors.
The 61-year-old was set to appear in court for a pre-trial hearing this month. The student, who was born in 2007, sat for a January interview at a child advocacy center about the alleged 2023 assault that could have been used as testimony at trial, court documents show.
She declined to speak with the BDN, which does not identify victims of sexual abuse without their consent.
The fallout
Habeeb had taught at Caribou High School, his alma mater, since 1988. A longtime tennis player, he worked as the tennis director of the city’s parks and recreation department even while in college.
Shortly after being hired at the high school, Habeeb became the head coach of both the boys and girls tennis teams, where he recorded more than 400 wins and a combined 14 regional titles and seven state championships. He was inducted into the Maine Sports Legends’ Hall of Honors in 2018.
But Habeeb’s teaching and coaching career unraveled in the wake of his arrest. He was banned from the high school’s premises under the conditions of his bail.
He announced he would leave the district in a short Feb. 12 email to Selfridge and McCall.
“I am planning on retiring at the end of the school year or possibly sooner,” Habeeb wrote. “Thank you for your time and attention in this matter. Have a nice day.”
A little over a week later, McCall, the Caribou superintendent, requested a welfare check on Habeeb because “no one has been able to reach him,” according to an incident report. Caribou police found him upstairs in his house listening to music.
In early March, RSU 39 entered into a separation agreement with Habeeb. He was placed on administrative leave until April 2 — his official resignation date — and allowed to use his remaining sick time until then.
Habeeb waived his right to appear at an April 9 arraignment. At the same time, news of his arrest began to circulate on social media. Late in the second week of April, someone egged his house. Habeeb told police he believed it was because of the allegations made against him, an officer wrote in an incident report. There were no suspects.
On April 14, a second person went to Caribou police and accused Habeeb of sexual assault.
It’s unclear when the alleged assault occurred and whether the victim was a student of Habeeb’s. But she met with a Caribou police officer and the Aroostook County district attorney’s office to discuss the allegations.
An incident report indicates police were considering recommending a rape charge.
The following week, Habeeb was found dead, and the case was never submitted for prosecution. District Attorney Todd Collins declined to comment on whether his office would have accepted the case, citing confidentiality statutes in Maine law.
