Career ruined but he's not guilty

[proud2BlibKansan]

ST. LOUIS • A former Mehlville School District principal has been found not guilty of lewd conduct.

Jim Walters, who had been principal of Point Elementary school, was cited in March by a ranger in Forest Park. The ranger said he saw Walters grab his genitals about 3 p.m. on March 16 while talking to a person in a car.

But Judge Joseph Murphy's decision says the ranger's story changed from the summons to his report. Furthermore, he said, the ranger continued to say Walters and the driver had met briefly in the upper Muny parking lot after the initial contact.

Video of the parking lot, though, never showed the car, Walters or the park ranger, who said he had pursued them, Murphy wrote.

"So even when confronted with irrefutable evidence presented by Defense Counsel, the ranger stuck with his story," Murphy wrote. "This Court sides with the video evidence."

The school district placed Walters on paid leave after the citation was issued. In June, the school board voted to terminate his contract and hired a new principal.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/former-mehlville-principal-found-not-guilty-of-lewd-conduct/article_75795f04-6d0b-56e6-a7cf-9238c9f26fc1.html

[Zorra]

1. It should be a highest class of felony for a person to knowingly

falsely accuse another person of a crime, if there is indisputable evidence that the person knowingly accused his/her victim of a crime.

[Live and Learn]

2. Please tell me there are laws against this already.

There must be.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. I'm not sure that's what happened here.

A cop saw this man talking to someone he assumed was a prostitute and he saw him grab his genitals.

That's it.

Not sure how this could be called a false accusation.

[Live and Learn]

4. I don't even understand the accusation.

Since when is grabbing one's genitals against the law anyway? Seems an awful lot of sports stars and musicians would be in jail if it was.

[politicaljunkie41910]

7. I thought grabbing one's gentals was an involuntary reflex by MOST men.

[Honeycombe8]

8. I'm a woman. Men have done this in front of me a # of times. Is it a reflect, or intentional?

Hmmmmmm. I don't seem to grab my genitals in public or when speaking with men in the office.

[OldDem2012]

5. Did you read the quote you linked in your own post?....

"Video of the parking lot, though, never showed the car, Walters or the park ranger, who said he had pursued them, Murphy wrote."

Just my opinion, but that seems to indicate the Ranger wasn't being entirely truthful.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. I was going by the statement the arresting officer made

I've also read a lot about this arrest. I have followed the story since the arrest. It really outraged me.