MOST CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST FORMER ROANE TEACHER

(03/08/2006)

Three out of four sexual-abuse charges against a former Roane teacher were thrown out of Kanawha Circuit Court on Tuesday. Four former female students accused Rodney Newhouse of improper sexual contact related to touching parts of their body. Newhouse was charged with sex crimes involving a minor in the 1990s while teaching in Roane. He was acquitted, and he returned to the classroom. Circuit Judge James Stucky dismissed three of the four charges Tuesday, saying they did not match the testimony given by Newhouse's accusers. Stevee Baldwin, a 19-year-old former cheerleader, told the jury that Newhouse put his hand on her breast. Newhouse vigorously denied the accusations, calling them "a bald-faced lie." Baldwin has filed a civil suit against Newhouse, the Roane County Board of Education, and the state Board of Education, alleging that school officials let Newhouse continue teaching after he had previously faced accusations of improper conduct. The court said yesterday "These indictments in no way coincide with the testimony of Lt. Crosier in front of the grand jury." Newhouse's attorney, pointed out that the testimony did not match the indictment. "I don't know where these charges came from," he said. "They're charging felonies where they have misdemeanors." If Newhouse is convicted of the remaining charge, he faces one to five years in prison.

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