The New Jersey company that offered Ernesto Bustamante a job as he was being investigated by the University of Idaho for sexual harassment never called the university for references, a company spokeswoman told the Spokesman-Review Friday.
"The references he provided were not from the University of Idaho," said April Perrone, human resources manager at Hi-Tec Systems, an aviation industry engineering and research company based in Egg Harbor Township, N.J.
The assistant professor of psychology agreed to resign his position with the university effective Aug. 19, three days before gunning down graduate student Katy Benoit, with whom he had an intimate relationship. Soon after killing her, he committed suicide in a nearby hotel room.
In an interview on Friday, Perrone said Hi-Tec Systems had offered Bustamante a job in "human factors research" contingent on his passing a background investigation. "He had all the requirements for the position," Perrone said. However, Bustamante never submitted the necessary information to begin the background check.
Documents released by the university contained correspondence between Bustamante and Perrone, including a July 11 email in which he inquired about obtaining a New Jersey firearms license.
Read the Spokesman's full story:
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/oct/28/company-did-talk-ui-offering-bustamante-job/
