Former University of Idaho assistant professor Ernesto A. Bustamante reportedly talked about shooting students in class, according to an anonymous student evaluation contained in the public records and timeline released by University of Idaho officials Thursday.
An anonymous teacher evaluation from Bustamante’s fall 2010 Psychology 218 class said, “He talked about shooting students, which was disturbing, and implied that he was (and we should be) drunk and high every other day.”
Another evaluation from the same class said, “(Bustamante) is very unprofessional and tends to flirt with his students.”
Bustamante also admitted to having sexual relations with UI graduate student Katy Benoit and other students, according to documents within the records.
The timeline also showed that Bustamante told Locke he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and treated it with medication during his first semester of employment in fall 2007.
The number of documents included in the public records release included more than 4,400 emails, electronic and paper records. More information may surface in the following days and some documents will be available to view online at uiargonat.com.
The release of employment history timeline and personnel files was the result of District Court Judge John Stegner’s Oct. 3 ruling that UI release all personnel files for Bustamante following the university’s request for legal clarification on the right to privacy for former, deceased employees.
Bustamante shot and killed Benoit outside her home Aug. 22 and was later found dead at a Moscow hotel from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. In the weeks following the deaths, UI released a timeline outlining Benoit’s contact and complaints with the university pertaining to Bustamante.
Benoit first contacted UI June 10 to discuss her complaint against Bustamante, and was told to contact Moscow Police Department, Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse and to file an official written complaint. Her complaint was officially submitted to Carmen Suarez, director of Human Rights, Access and Inclusion, June 12 and officially sent to Bustamante July 6.
Benoit’s official written complain against Bustamante included allegations that she witnessed Bustamante engaging in sexual relationships with another student and had heard rumors about others. Benoit also said in her complaint that she had seen at least five of Bustamante’s guns.
“He carries them everywhere, including to campus (on every occasion),” Benoit wrote. “He answers his door with them, travels with them, sleeps near them, EVERYWHERE.”
Notes taken during an interview with Benoit July 14 indicate that she admitted to stealing prescription medication from Bustamante. Benoit had been taking pain medication after she had surgery on her knee at the end of April, and claimed she had a “crazy spell” where she doesn’t remember anything, and found the pills after the spell. Bustamante also said in a July 8 letter to the Office of Human Rights, Access and Inclusion that Benoit had stolen prescription medication from him and tried to sell it back to him.
In Benoit’s complaint, Suarez informed Bustamante he was not allowed to contact Benoit and asked him to meet in-person for HRAI. Bustamante responded to Suarez denying the allegations in Benoit’s complaint July 11, but set up an in-person interview with Suarez and Gary Williams, English department chair and co-investigator, for July 19.
According to notes from the interview, Bustamante admitted to having sexual and romantic relationships with several students and a young faculty member. He also claims to have a young son of whom he doesn’t have custody.
Bustamante also denied in the interview that he had a conversation with Katherine Aiken and Richard Reardon, dean and associate dean of the College of Letter, Arts and Social Sciences, respectively, in December 2010 where he was informed UI has no tolerance for sexual harassment or retaliation, and if he is involved with a student it must stop immediately.
The December conversation followed an anonymous call made to UI’s Ethics and Compliance hotline during which the caller said Bustamante was having sexual relationships with students. The caller also said Bustamante was having “an abusive and coercive relationship with one student.”
The information had also been given to a UI faculty member the same day. UI confirmed that Benoit was not the caller, according to a note in the timeline.
Notes regarding the hotline call indicate that the student named in the call was contacted and asked about the relationship, however she claimed it was consensual and refused to file a report.
During the July interview Bustamante asked what would happen if he resigned. Suarez said the process would end because of the lack of a respondent. The same day, Bustamante emailed Ken Locke, psychology department chair, with his intention to resign.
Bustamante submitted his official resignation and separation agreement Aug. 5. Per the agreement, Bustamante was to have limited access to his office and laboratory, accompanied access for removal of personal items and no access after Aug. 9. Bustamante’s employment with UI officially concluded Aug. 19, and Suarez met with Benoit Aug. 22 to inform her and encourage her to maintain contact with MPD.