Jan 29, 2008 -
William Beeson, an English and theater arts teacher at Virginia City High School, has been arrested on sexual assault charges.
He was charged with one count of suspicion of felony sexual assault of a child under the age of 16, one general count of suspicion of felony sexual assault and one count of suspicion of misdemeanor unlawful conduct with a child. The cases police are investigating are several years old.
[He is listed as "former" teacher in the article, but it doesn't indicate when he left Virginia City High School or if the charges are related to his employment at the school.]
Photo Storey County Sheriff's Department
SETTLEMENT REJECTED BY SCHOOL BOARD Jan 30 - KOLO 8 on the settlement that the school rejected.
Beeson was accused in April 2007 of improperly touching a student and was placed on administrative leave by the school district a month later. He was fired in August.School board members upheld the firing in December, and the matter is now headed to arbitration.
In November he offered a settlement that was rejected by the school board. Under the proposal, Beeson would have been allowed to resign rather than be fired, and the board would have bought out the remaining time on his contract.
In return, Beeson would have waived appeals, given up his teaching credentials and agreed not to seek or accept a similar position anywhere in the United States.
Jan 30, 2008 - Beeson was placed on administrative leave after authorities said a security camera captured him touching a male student in a common school during an April play rehearsal. County District Attorney Harold Swafford said then no charges were filed because he didn’t believe a crime was committed.
In December, however, Law enforcement authorities disclosed that two other former students made similar allegations against Beeson.
Feb 5 - Arraignment is scheduled for Feb 13.
ARRESTED (AGAIN) May 3 - Beeson was arrested on Friday for allegedly violating court-ordered conditions of his release by being in the company of a 16-year-old male described by Storey County Sheriff's Sgt. Ken Quirk as a runaway and incorrigible juvenile. Beeson was booked into the Storey County jail with a no bail hold for contempt of court by violating conditions of his bail release.
TRIAL ORDERED July 3 - After a five-hour preliminary hearing in which the two alleged victims testified, Storey County Justice Court Senior Judge Edward R. Johnson determined there was enough evidence to try William Beeson, 58, on a count of felony sexual assault and gross misdemeanor unlawful contact with a child. He will be arraigned later this month.
Assistant district attorney Grant argued the willful and malicious intent pertained only to the repetitive way in which Beeson allegedly rubbed the back of the alleged victim before eventually putting his hand into the waistband of the boy’s underwear, all of which was caught on tape during a rehearsal at Piper’s Opera House.
