CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A former longtime Capital High School principal will go to trial in Kanawha County next month on a charge of delaying the reporting of an alleged sexual assault that happened at his school.
Clinton Giles, 64, plead not guilty to the misdemeanor charge during an appearance Tuesday in Kanawha County Circuit Judge Carrie Webster’s courtroom.
He was released on $1,000 personal recognizance bond.
A 17-year old boy was arrested on the night of Tues., Jan. 27 and charged with second-degree sexual assault for allegedly assaulting a 15-year old girl in a stairwell at Capital High during school hours more than 24 hours earlier, on Mon., Jan 26.
Even though the girl had reported the assault to school officials on that Monday, law enforcement officers said they were not notified until the following day.
Giles’ trial date was scheduled for March 23, with a pre-trial hearing set for March 18.
To accommodate the trial timeline, attorneys will move quickly through the discovery process which will be complicated, in part, by the fact that a number of those involved in the evidence against Giles are juveniles.
Chuck Miller, Kanawha County’s prosecuting attorney, said a court order from Webster will be needed to legally turn over some of that evidence, including audio, to Giles’ attorney, Jim Cagle.
“I don’t want to have someone turn around and ask for a special prosecutor to prosecute me or Mr. (Don) Morris (Kanawha County assistant prosecuting attorney) for disclosing the name of a juvenile charged with an act of delinquency in contravention of the state law,” Miller said.
“If the court orders us to do something contrary to state law, then certainly we’ll do it.”
Giles had no comment after the hearing, but the Rev. Matthew Watts who attended the hearing did speak about Giles, calling him one of the “most respected educators” in West Virginia.
“I’ve known Mr. Giles for a long time and he’s probably one of the most principled people that I know and I think he’s given his career to protecting children,” Watts said.
If convicted of the misdemeanor charge, Giles could face a $1,000 fine and a 30 day jail sentence.
Giles, who had served as principal at Capital High since 2002, submitted his retirement/resignation to the Kanawha County Board of Education earlier this month after being charged.