Sex charge against assistant principal dismissed
Published 9:15 am Friday, October 22, 2010
ISLE OF WIGHT—An Isle of Wight County Circuit Court judge on Wednesday dismissed a sexual battery charge against the assistant principal of Windsor Middle School.
Timmie Edwards, 61, of Smithfield was charged with the misdemeanor after a 30-year-old woman claimed he made unwanted sexual advances and groped her while showing one of his rental homes in Smithfield in May. At the time of alleged incident, Edwards was serving as the assistant principal at Windsor Middle School. At the beginning of the school year, an interim assistant principal was placed at the school.
“Justice prevailed,” Edwards, a longtime educator, said after the ruling. Edwards appealed the case to the circuit court after a General District Court judge found him guilty last month.
Circuit Court Judge Rodham T. Delk Jr. said Wednesday the evidence in the case was “very close” and he didn’t “disbelieve” the alleged victim’s testimony, but noted the burden was on the Commonwealth to prove Edwards’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The alleged victim testified in court that Edwards made unwanted sexual advances and groped her when the two were alone in the rental home.
“After he had assaulted me and disrespected me, I knew I didn’t want to live there,” she said. The alleged victim said she didn’t immediately leave after the alleged incident because she “didn’t know what to do.”
Edwards’ attorney, Robert F. Hagans Jr., questioned why it took the alleged victim five days to report the alleged incident to police and why she didn’t immediately leave the residence after the alleged sexual battery.
In court, Edwards said he was a vice principal at Smithfield High School when the alleged victim attended and had to discipline her on several occasions. He denied the alleged victim’s claims and testified that he has been a role model for young people in the community.
“I want to be an example for kids,” he said. “This is not right. I have not touched that young lady.”
Despite a parade of witnesses testifying to Edwards’ good character and reputation in the community, prosecutor Steve Edwards, who is not related to the defendant, said the alleged victim had “no reason” to make false allegations.
In September, T. Hayes Griffin, who represents the Windsor District on the School Board, said Edwards had been suspended from his job since May.
“We have not received any notification regarding the outcome of today’s events,” schools spokeswoman Katherine Goff said Wednesday afternoon. “And as for personnel matters, they are confidential.”