Teacher in sex abuse case ordered to court
Charles Williams, 67, of South Huntington, a middle school teacher in Hungtington, has been charged with sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in a classroom, Suffolk County police said. (Feb. 11, 2011) Credit: SCPD
A Huntington school district teacher who was scheduled for arraignment Thursday on charges of molesting a student will instead go before a judge Friday, the Suffolk district attorney's office said.
Charles Williams, 67, who teaches English at J. Taylor Finley Middle School on Greenlawn Road in Huntington, was arrested in February at his home on Dorchester Street in South Huntington and charged with second-degree sexual abuse.
Williams had tried to enter a not guilty plea by mail. But at First District Court in Central Islip Thursday, Judge Chris Ann Kelley refused the defense request to have Williams arraigned that way and adjourned the case until Friday, said a spokesman for the district attorney's office.
Calls to Williams' attorney, Frank Tinari of Central Islip, were not returned.
Police said Williams took a 12-year-old girl into a classroom on Jan. 26 so she could make a phone call, then "subjected the student to inappropriate sexual contact."
Police said the girl told a teacher what happened a short time later. That teacher told school administrators and the Suffolk police school resource officer. An investigation by special victims unit detectives led to Williams' arrest.
A lawyer for the school district, Greg Guercio of Farmingdale, has said Williams has not been officially suspended, but reassigned to home with pay.
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