PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va. -- The Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Professional Practices has placed a hold on the teaching license of a longtime former Prince George County Schools administrator recently arrested on child sex crime charges.
William Barnes Jr. was indicted on nine felony counts on July 15, for allegedly assaulting his adopted son in the 1980s. Several other men are accusing the 78-year-old of doing the same to them as children, according to sworn affidavits exclusively obtained by CBS 6.
VDOE spokesperson Todd Reid said, “We have notified the school division of this action previously. This hold means that any school division attempting to hire Mr. Barnes and look up his license will not be able to find the license. However, individuals using the public license "look up" feature on the web will see he is licensed,” said Reid.
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The Office of Professional Practice said they are aware of Barnes’ next court date August 22.
“If the individual is convicted, the Office of Professional Practices brings a petition to the Superintendent for her signature if the school division is not initiating a petition,” said Reid.
CBS 6 made the inquiry after sharing an August 26, 2022, state superintendent's memo that specifically discusses the obligation to pursue a licensure action. We inquired specifically about the following Virginia statutes.
"...in accordance with 8VAC20-23-720 and 8VAC20-23-740, division superintendents, principals, and other responsible school employees have a duty to file a complaint regarding any case, in which they have knowledge that a basis for the revocation or suspension of a license exists. Furthermore, these regulations require that division superintendents or their authorized representatives undertake an “immediate and thorough investigation” of any complaint alleging conduct on the part of a license holder that may form the basis for the revocation or suspension of that individual’s license."
WATCH: Former Virginia school administrator arrested, accused of child sex abuse
The Prince George County School Board provided us with the following statement, "As we have shared previously, it is traditionally not our practice to comment on matters related to personnel or active law enforcement investigations. However, the Prince George County School Board concurs with the Virginia Department of Education in its response to your inquiry regarding the status of Mr. William A. Barnes, Jr's license. Mr. Barnes would not be permitted to work for Prince George County Public Schools in any capacity in light of the felony counts he has been charged with. We continue to take this matter seriously and remain committed to fully cooperating with law enforcement if requested to do so."
CBS 6 also reached out to the Virginia Office of the Attorney General.
We inquired about what their involvement was in the case and if they planned on launching an investigation. Spokesperson Chloe Smith said, "Our office is ready and willing to provide support if called upon."
The Attorney General can provide assistance if requested to do so by a Commonwealth’s Attorney or if an Executive Order is issued.
CBS 6 contacted Tim Dustan, the Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney at the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney in Powhatan County and the special prosecutor on the Barnes case.
We inquired if he plans on calling Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares’ office in this case.
Dustan responded to CBS 6 with the following:
"Ethical rules significantly restrict the ability of prosecutors to comment on ongoing investigations. I am therefore not able to share a comment at this time."
We also reached out to Governor Glenn Youngkin’s office to see if he has any plans to issue an Executive Order. They referred us to the Prince George Commonwealth's Attorney's office and the Virginia State Police.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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