Northwestern asst. principal now accused of sex crimes with 2nd student

The Northwestern High School assistant principal accused last month of sexual misconduct with a student faces new charges that he sent nude pictures and videos of himself to two female students, Rock Hill police said.

Kenneth Andrew Williams, 30, turned himself in to police Thursday on six more charges – some of them related to a second victim, who was 16 and a Northwestern student at the time of the alleged crimes, police said.

During a bond hearing two hours after his arrest, Municipal Judge Ray Long set Williams’ total bond at $1.2 million – $200,000 for each charge.

“I consider Mr. Williams to be a threat to this community,” said Long, who also prohibited Williams from contacting anyone younger than 18 – whether in person or electronically.

The most recent charges against Williams are one count of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and five counts of disseminating obscene material to a person younger than 18, police said.

The obscene material charges relate to accusations that Williams sent nude pictures of himself and videos of himself masturbating to his victims via Snapchat, a social media platform, Long said. The victims received the pictures and videos on their cell phones, he said.

The sexual exploitation charge relates to an allegation that Williams’ asked one of the victims to send him a nude digital photograph of herself, Long said.

During Thursday’s bond hearing, the first victim chose to address the court.

“I cry, I scream, I feel in danger all the time,” the girl, now 16, told the judge.

Williams “manipulated me,” the victim said, and “made threats toward my school, my family.”

She is in counseling as a result of Williams’ actions, she said, and she has been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.

Williams entered her life as a friend of her mother, and then developed a relationship with her, the girl said.

The Herald does not identify the victims of sex crimes.

The second victim Williams is now charged with exploiting did not appear in court on Thursday.

Police Detective Brooks Felmet told Long that detectives have interviewed “numerous students” and collected electronic data, and that the investigation is not complete.

The investigation has shown that Williams used academic threats against his victims, who had been assigned to him in his role as a high school administrator, Felmet said.

Felmet asked Long to set a “substantial bond” to “send a message that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated.” He also asked the judge to bar Williams from any in-person or electronic contact with anyone younger than 18.

Williams’ attorney, Twana Burris-Alcide, asked for a bond of not more than $30,000, saying Williams has no criminal record, that he is not a threat and that he is involved in the community.

Since his arrest April 26 on the first set of charges and his release on an initial $110,000 bond, she said, Williams has been spending time taking his grandmother to the store and the doctor.

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Williams, 30, of Park Ridge Lane, was initially charged with six crimes connected to a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old Northwestern student, police said.

The initial charges were four counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and one count each of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and unlawful conduct toward a child.

Police Detective Ryan Thomas said during an April 27 bond hearing on the first set of charges that Williams had an “extensive sexual relationship” with the first victim, now 16, since she was 15.

Thomas said at the time investigators found a “trail of evidence that concretely and definitely supported her account.”

During the April 27 hearing, Municipal Judge Dolores Williams ordered Williams to not have contact with the victim or her family, and said he cannot allow anyone else to contact them on his behalf.

Williams, who previously worked as physical education teacher at Rock Hill High School, was suspended with pay by the Rock Hill school district after allegations against him were made by the first student on April 20.

Burris-Alcide told the judge during Thursday’s bond hearing that Williams is now involved in a “due process hearing” with the Rock Hill school district.

Mychal Frost, spokesman for the Rock Hill school district, declined to confirm that such a hearing is being held for Williams, saying that it is a personnel matter.

He said such hearings are a right offered to certified district employees who are allowed to respond to allegations made against them. He said such hearings could result in disciplinary action such as termination, regardless of the outcome of a criminal case.

Frost said after allegations were made against Williams that the district made a recorded phone call and sent a letter home with Northwestern students to let families know what had happened.

“We have communicated with our families,” Frost said, “And we have encouraged our families to talk to their children.”

This story was originally published May 12, 2016 at 12:46 PM with the headline "Northwestern asst. principal now accused of sex crimes with 2nd student."