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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An attorney for Des Moines high school coach Gerald "Tig" Johnson says sex abuse charges against him should be dismissed because video evidence that could have exonerated him has been destroyed.
Police are blaming school officials for the missing evidence, the Des Moines Register reported (http://dmreg.co/1So3auo ) Saturday.
Johnson, a Roosevelt High School teacher, is charged with sexual exploitation by a school employee and assault with intent to commit sexual abuse with no injury. Officials say he called a 16-year-old girl out of class on Dec. 3 and had sexual contact with her in his classroom.
He has denies the charges. Johnson has been placed on administrative leave.
Police spokesman Sgt. Paul Parizek said school officials were told to preserve school video, which reportedly shows the girl and Johnson's movement to and from classrooms, including another person entering the room where Johnson and the girl were believed to be.
Des Moines Schools spokesman Phil Roeder said the district saved the video on a computer, but the file became corrupted. Efforts to recover or fix the damaged file have been unsuccessful, he said.
"Without the evidence from the surveillance tape, Johnson cannot defend against the two charges against him," Johnson's attorney, Alfredo Parrish, said in a motion filed Friday seeking to have the charges dismissed.
Parrish declined to comment further on the case.
Parizek said police are "looking into the circumstances" of the missing video, but declined to say if police have launched a criminal investigation.
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Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com
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