HOT SPRINGS -- A sexual assault charge against retiring Lake Hamilton Middle School principal Lester Dewayne Curry is based partly on multiple encounters with a 13-year-old, female student at the school, according to documents released Thursday to The Sentinel-Record.
Curry was charged June 3 with felony counts of second-degree sexual assault, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and sexual indecency with a child, punishable by up to six years. He appeared in Garland County District Court on Monday and pleaded innocent to both counts.
The District Court released the affidavits of probable cause for the charges Thursday.
The documents said the Garland County Sheriff's Department received a report May 22 of an incident between Curry and a student that involved "inappropriate emails, Instagram conversations and texts."
A witness told investigators she saw an email on the student's cellphone that said "Good Morning." The email came from an iCloud account, and the sender information showed a picture of Curry and listed a phone number.
Other messages on the student's phone "suggested a sexual relationship" between Curry and the student, according to the documents.
The student was interviewed May 24 and said "on numerous occasions" Curry would pull her out of class to come to his office, the documents said. Curry allegedly kissed her on several occasions and once "put his hands on her butt and pulled her towards him to kiss her."
The student said Curry would "tell her sexual stories and talk about having oral sex with her," according to the documents. She said the conversations took place in his office and through text messages, emails and Instagram direct messages.
Forensic extraction of the student's cellphone revealed evidence that corroborated the student's statements, the affidavit said.
Curry was interviewed May 25 at the Garland County Sheriff's Department, where he denied the allegations of kissing and putting his hands on the student's buttocks. He admitted to calling, texting, emailing and direct messaging the student on Instagram, according to documents. Curry denied having sexual conversations with her, the affidavit said.
The affidavits were released Thursday after Division 2 District Court Judge Ralph Ohm signed an order amending a pretrial publicity order that Division 1 District Judge David Switzer had issued June 3, the date of Curry's arrest.
The original order prohibited any party in the case from releasing or authorizing the release of any documents, or exhibits or any evidence, "the admissibility of which many have to be determined by the Court."
Curry submitted his resignation May 26, the day after he was interviewed by investigators. His retirement will be effective June 30.
State Desk on 06/25/2016