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General News: Atty. Wants Charges Against Principal Dropped
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| Washingtonville principal Michael Rossi greeted supporters outside the Cornwall courtroom last spring. |
June 09, 2011
A hearing Wednesday revealed new details that point to an extortion attempt in the case of the Washingtonville high school principal who is accused of improper contact with a 16-year-old male student.
The defense attorney for principal Michael Rossi told the judge that the student and his friends were trying to get money from Rossi in return for keeping quiet about the incident in which the principal allegedly laid his hand on the student’s chest and “private parts” for two-to-three seconds.
The prosecuting attorney later noted that Rossi came to the authorities to report this last October and that’s when he was charged with sexual abuse in the third degree, forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a child.
“Mr. Rossi came forward and went to the police department and it ended up backfiring on him,” said Sullivan County District Attorney James Farrell, who is trying the case.
Attorney Alan S. Lewis presented oral arguments to the judge to persuade him to drop the charges against Rossi. He said that there was no evidence of use of force in the alleged touching incident and he went on to ask the judge to review the seriousness and impact of the case.
Prosecutor Farrell rejected the attempt to minimize the impact of the incident on the student, saying it is “serious business” when a person in authority abuses his position. Farrell also talked about some 200 text messages between Rossi and the student, saying they creating a sexually charged atmosphere in which the incident occurred. Rossi faces additional charges in New Windsor of endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated harassment for the allegedly inappropriate text messages.
Cornwall town judge Frank Navarro said that he will present his decision about whether to dismiss of charges on July 13th. Meanwhile, principal Rossi remains on administrative leave. After sitting silently through the 90-minute court hearing, Rossi exited the courtroom to greet three dozen or more supporters who claim his innocence.
Comments:
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I can not tell from the article if the student and friend have been arrested and jailed for extortion - it seems pretty clear that they did attempt to extort money
posted by Philip Connolly on 06/09/11 at 7:40 AM
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You can't arrest and jail somebody just because some lawyer accuses them of something.
posted by Stephan Wilkinson on 06/09/11 at 9:36 AM
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Is our children learning?
Gotta love kids nowadays. Young and innocent enough to be victims, but jaded and savvy enough to try and extort money for it.
posted by Ted Warren on 06/09/11 at 10:14 AM
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