Not Guilty Plea For Two St. Joseph High School Administrators

Two Saint Joseph High School administrators charged with not reporting suspected child sexual abuse to law enforcement entered pleas in court today. Principal Joseph Myers and former Dean of Students John Walker were not in the Santa Maria courtroom when their attorney’s entered the not guilty pleas on their behalf.The two administrators were charged with a misdemeanor after not reporting the sexual assault of a 16-year-old student by two other students.Attorney Michael Scott says his client was not trying to cover up the crime. He said they were trying to do what the victim and her parents wanted, which is not go through a criminal investigation. “The case had already been reported to law enforcement so is there a technical violation, it may well be a technical violation, but does it violate the spirit of the law, the purpose of the law? No it does not,” said Michael Scott, Joseph Myer’s attorney.The case will go back to court on August 31st for a pre-trial conference. That’s when a trial date will most likely be set. If Myers and Walker are convicted, they face six months in jail or a $1,000 fine or both.