Jeffrey Barton, the former head of a military academy for boys, faces seven new sex abuse charges in addition to the 16 sexual assault charges last fall.
Barton, 56, pleaded not guilty to the new charges, which added one new victim to the case.
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The judge raised bail from $3 million to $6 million because of the additional charges.
In this most recent indictment unsealed Friday, the former school administrator was accused of sexually abusing four boys in seventh to ninth grades on school field trips and at his home between 1996 and 2001. The accusation included testimony that
Barton used drugs to paralyze the boys, Reuters reported.
“This is a serious sexual abuse case spanning three decades, three schools, and seven victims,” Deputy District Attorney Tracey Prior told Reuters.
Barton already was facing charges for alleged sexual abuse of two students, although in testimony seven different students said they were victimized, Reuters said. Some charges stem from other schools where Barton worked in South Carolina and Tennessee.
Barton now faces a total of 23 charges, which include forcible sex counts. The indictment that was opened Friday has been resealed to protect the victims.
Barton’s attorneys told Reuters that the new charges, which were the result of a secret grand jury, took away their client’s right to face his accusers.
"Mr. Barton was promised an opportunity to have a preliminary hearing so we can test the veracity of the allegations against him. This violates Mr. Barton’s right to a preliminary hearing and his federal rights to due process," defense attorney Daniel Greene told Reuters. "These are horrible allegations and now Mr. Barton has been denied the opportunity to confront his accusers and defend himself."
The judge, however, said the decision was made to protect the victims, Reuters said.
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