Arlington principal, school staffers arrested in child grooming case, police say
ARLINGTON – The principal of an Arlington charter school and two educators have been arrested on charges relating to an alleged inappropriate relationship with a student, police said.
On Feb. 6, the Newman International Academy Police Department arrested teacher Ruel Barbee, 53, for allegedly having an improper relationship with a student, according to a police news release. Barbee was an employee at the charter school's Gibbins campus, which serves students in grades 7-12.
Earlier this week, the police department also arrested 20-year-old coach Gabrielle Little on a charge of child grooming. She was also an employee at the Gibbins campus.
Both Barbee and Little were fired, according to NIA. It is unclear what their positions were with the school. Police did not provide any specifics on the circumstances surrounding the allegations.
Then, on Feb. 12, NIA police arrested Rick Adams, the principal of the Gibbins campus. He faces five felony counts related to the other allegations: three counts of tampering with evidence, one count of tampering with a witness, and one count of failure to report abuse. He resigned before he could be dismissed, according to district officials.
During a news conference Thursday, Donna Hart, an assistant superintendent for the Newman International Academy District, said in addition to the three no longer being employed, the district's athletic director, head varsity girls basketball coach, and a part-time assistant football coach have been placed on administrative leave with pay as the investigation continues.
Matthew Antkowiak, police chief for the Newman International Academy District, said the district is taking the case extremely seriously.
"I want to be clear, the safety and well-being of our students and students from other schools is my personal highest priority," Antkowiak said.
"As a victim myself of a child sexual crime, I'm not playing," Antkowiak continued. "Other educators at other school districts and at churches that failed to take appropriate action and passed the trash will be held accountable."
Antkowiak said the district is working with law enforcement partners at state and federal agencies, including the FBI and Homeland Security, noting the investigation is not limited to victims on the district's campuses.
Educational institutions and churches in other states, where additional victims may be, could be served search warrants soon, Antkowiak said.
"We would not be here today if others acted and intervened, as they are expected to, both educators and adults," Antkowiak said.
Antkowiak specifically addressed parents.
"I'm sorry that churches and schools are not safe," Antkowiak said. "I'm sorry that law enforcement, educators, and our community is not doing better. Anyone that thinks this is a Newman International Academy problem is blind and needs to wake up."
Antkowiak said two victims have been identified. He said the investigation started after two seventh-grade girls went to a police officer on campus and reported "they were seeing something not right."
In a statement, Newman International Superintendent Dr. Sheba George said:
"We will root out any exploitation or abuse of our students. There is absolutely no excuse that could justify the actions of educators who do not care about the well-being of students or who hurt them. It is my hope and prayer that other institutions responsible for the safety and well being of children would take similar actions in response to this epidemic in our schools. At Newman International Academy, we will do what is right. We will fight for the justice of victims. We will not tolerate abuse or any action that attempts to cover up or hide it. We will deal with all allegations of misconduct of our staff fairly, but make no mistake: There is no place here at Newman where we will protect an educator or this institution's reputation over a student's life and the justice deserved by a victim of abuse."
Antkowiak said anyone who has additional information is urged to email report@newmanacademy.org.
