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DIETRICH, Idaho — Fallout from the Dietrich High School locker room incident exploded Thursday with the resignation of the school’s superintendent and the launch of a state investigation into the judge who presided over the case.
Superintendent Ben Hardcastle announced his resignation hours after the Idaho Judicial Council released a statement saying it would investigate a complaint against District Judge Randy Stoker, reported the Times-News.
Hardcastle and the district have come under fire for an October 2015 attack in a Dietrich football locker room, where white players were accused of targeting a black, mentally disabled teammate. Both an attorney general’s investigation and Hardcastle’s own investigating showed a culture of bullying and possible racism that was widespread on the football team.
“I think he’s being sacrificed,” Lee Schlender, an attorney for the victim, said of Hardcastle’s resignation. “He was only there for less than a year before this happened, and there’s no evidence that the school board told him (when he was hired) that, to use a metaphor, the ship was on fire down below. There was a raging fire going on that was going to be a disaster.”
Schlender said the school district knew for years about problems of racism, bullying, taunting and “smoldering violence” on the campus, and specifically in the locker room.
“I don’t think they shared that with him,” Schlender said, adding Hardcastle’s resignation won’t take pressure off the school district.
The case sparked national outrage, especially after Stoker sentenced 19-year-old John R.K Howard, the only person charged criminally as an adult in the case, to probation on Feb. 24. Witnesses said Howard kicked a coat hanger into the victim’s buttocks.
The judicial council’s investigation was triggered by Caldwell teacher Monica Ryan, whose online petition calling for Stoker’s removal from the bench has gathered more than 170,000 signatures. The judge was not immediately available to comment on the investigation.
While Ryan’s petition focused on the leniency of the sentence, Stoker has also faced criticism from groups including the NAACP after saying he didn’t think race played a role in the incident. Witnesses say players and coaches often called the victim racist names including “grape soda,” “watermelon” and “fried chicken.”
The council is the state’s top judicial oversight board, with broad powers to investigate complaints against judges. If the council finds evidence of wrongdoing, its investigation will be turned over to the Supreme Court, which has the power to censure, discipline or remove the judge. Robert Hamlin, the council’s former executive director, will investigate the complaint.
Tony Cantrill, the council’s current executive director, recused himself from Stoker’s investigation because of a conflict of interest. He said all verified complaints undergo an initial review to see if there is any substance to the complaint. But where that investigation could lead is unclear. The judicial council’s job is to investigate judges over misconduct and not to second-guess their courtroom decisions.
In Stoker’s case, Hamlin will conduct that initial review and share his findings with the seven-member council, which consists of Idaho Chief Justice Roger Burdick, two lawyers and four lay representatives. If the council decides a judge violated any ethical rules, a more in-depth investigation would take place, and the judge would be given a chance to respond to the complaint.
In her online petition, Ryan called on Stoker’s removal citing a judge’s duty to “reject plea deals if the proposed reduced charges and sentencing does not match the crime.”
Meanwhile, Hardcastle says he’ll resign at the end of the schoolyear.
“I have an opportunity that is in the best interest of my family, and the Dietrich School Board has graciously accepted my resignation effective at the end of this contract year,” he wrote in a statement to the Times-News.
The statement didn’t mention the locker room incident, and Hardcastle didn’t respond to follow-up messages seeking clarification on his resignation.
“I am extremely grateful to the community of Dietrich for the great trust that you have shown me in allowing me to serve the school district,” he wrote.
Records released by the Idaho Attorney General’s Office show Hardcastle began his own investigation of the locker room incident before notifying the sheriff’s office. On Tuesday, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden told the Times-News the superintendent’s investigation didn’t influence the criminal probe.
A former Teacher of the Year in Texas, Hardcastle quit the Gooding School District in 2015 after a spat with that district’s superintendent over his accusations of plagiarism in the school system’s handbook. He joined the Dietrich school district as its top administrator months later.
Hardcastle is one of several Dietrich district employees named as defendants in an ongoing civil suit brought by the victim, who is seeking $10 million in damages. Attorneys have until next month to gather evidence. There have been no settlement talks, and the case is expected to go to trial this summer.
Schlender, the victim’s attorney, said Hardcastle’s resignation won’t take pressure off the school district.
“I think that kind of white-washing isn’t going to cut it,” the attorney said. “Hanging him out to dry is a mistake. It is not going to take away the spotlight on that school board.”
