Thirty-seven local area elementary school students competed in the 2024 City Hall of Fame Jeopardy competition at the Butte High Auditorium on Thursday, May 2.
More charges likely for Hilton principal as more victims come forward whec.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from whec.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Kirk Ashton the school principal at Northwood Elementary in Hilton accused of sexually abusing nine students has more than two decades of experience at local schools as an educator.
Hilton parent Scott Upham, whose daughter attended Northwood from 2010-2014, remembers his daughter s former principal as professional and courteous with parents. He reflected on a dozen or so interactions with Aston, who attended and hosted several school events. They were all positive, and that s why this is kind of shocking, Upham said.
Earlier this week, the 51-year-old Ashton was arraigned on six counts of first-degree sexual abuse and five counts of second-degree course of sexual conduct, both felonies, and nine counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor.
Kirk Ashton accused of sexually abusing students in Hilton. What we know democratandchronicle.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from democratandchronicle.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Ashton has two previous convictions for driving while intoxicated a felony in 2007 and a misdemeanor in 1998, according to the Monroe County District Attorney s Office.
This prompted many to wonder whether a felony conviction automatically disqualifies someone from working in a public school. The short answer is that it does not. A felony DWI conviction does not automatically preclude someone from employment, said Grace Scism, director of communications for the Hilton Central School District.
As for whether the district was aware of the previous convictions, Scism declined to comment. Mr. Ashton’s hiring occurred before the superintendent’s hiring in the district, so we cannot comment specifically, Scism said in an email to a reporter.