Longview Superintendent Arrested on 3 Charges in High School Sexual Assault Probe
Updated
Updated · Fox 12 Oregon · May 21
Longview Superintendent Arrested on 3 Charges in High School Sexual Assault Probe
6 articles · Updated · Fox 12 Oregon · May 21
Karen Cloninger was arrested Thursday morning in Longview and booked on three charges—witness tampering, failure to report and obstructing an officer—in the Mark Morris High School sexual assault investigation.
Court records say district leaders knew of misconduct allegations by Jan. 29, and detectives allege Cloninger was told details involving multiple students, including one claim a student was dragged into a team room and partially disrobed.
Police said Cloninger told them on Feb. 5 the district had investigated and handled the matter internally, but officers opened a formal case after a parent reported a sexual assault on Feb. 9.
A 14-year-old victim told investigators he suffered as many as six assaults by varsity team members since Thanksgiving; two students were charged in February and are set for trial this summer.
Andrew Schoonover, the district's student services director, faces additional charges, and police said the investigation is continuing with more arrests or charges possible.
With a superintendent accused of deleting evidence, what else might school officials be hiding about the student sexual assault scandal?
Are new state rules enough to stop school administrators from concealing crimes to protect their district's reputation?