Accuser in trial for former Prince George school administrator details alleged child sexual abuse in testimony

Editor's Note: This article contains graphic descriptions of allegations of sexual abuse of a child by an adult. Viewer discretion is advised.

PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- The person who has accused a former Prince George County school administrator of child sex crimes testified on Tuesday, detailing the years of sexual abuse they claim they faced.

The second day of the trial for William Barnes, Jr. -- a former Prince George County school administrator who has been accused of sexually abusing a child decades prior -- began on Tuesday, Jan. 6.

Barnes faces a total of 11 charges, with Tuesday's trial only focusing on nine sex abuse charges. He was first arrested on these charges on July 30, 2024, with noted offense dates including June 1985 and August 1986, per the Riverside Regional Jail website.

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Tuesday's proceedings included testimony from his accuser, who will not be named in this article in order to protect their privacy.

Accuser testifies, outlines years of alleged sexual abuse

The accuser, aged 14 to 17 at the time of the abuse, alleges that Barnes molested and raped them almost weekly starting in 1985.

The accuser was living with Barnes during that time. They testified that Barnes threatened to send them to foster care if they complained or told anyone about the abuse.

The alleged abuse often took the form of Barnes serving the minor victim alcohol until they were intoxicated. They would then be sent to bed, where they claim Barnes would join them and molest or rape them. After an abuse event, the accuser said Barnes would reward them with toys or money.

By age 18, the accuser said they were old enough to fight Barnes off. They said Barnes told them that, as long as they didn't tell anyone about the abuse, the abuse would stop and Barnes would continue to support them financially.

The accuser continued to live with Barnes, later with their spouse and children, until they came forward about the abuse in 2023.

The accuser testified that the living arrangement began because they had an unstable home life, and Barnes was seen as a trusted adult by the accuser's mother at that time because of his roles in the local schools.

Barnes was known to many in the community as a long-time educator with Prince George County Schools, serving as an assistant superintendent, guidance counselor, teacher and coach.

Barnes continued to fully financially support the accuser and their family until the allegations were made.

Defense claims accuser wanted to hurt Barnes

During cross-examination, Barnes' defense argued that the accusations are false, fabricated in retaliation against Barnes for allegedly interfering in the accuser's marriage. The defense pointed out that the abuse was reported on the same day Barnes filed a protective order against the accuser.

According to Barnes' defense, the accuser had several motivations to fabricate the allegations in 2023, claiming that the accuser did so as a result of Barnes' interference in their marriage.

At that time, the accuser was going through a divorce with their spouse. The accuser alleges Barnes came between their marriage and that he took the side of the accuser's spouse in the divorce. This caused immense mental strife for the accuser, who admitted to making threats over text towards Barnes and their spouse, as well as threatening to hurt themselves.

As a result of those threats, the accuser's spouse and Barnes took out protective orders against the accuser. Subsequently, the accuser was informed by police that they would be involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hold if they did not commit themselves.

The accuser then entered a psychiatric facility, where they disclosed their abuse for the first time to staff.

Other motivations mentioned by the defense included the accuser now being barred from Barnes' home, financial loss and a broken family.

Forensic psychologist testifies in support of accuser

The Commonwealth's second witness in the case was Dr. Lucy Guarnera, a forensic psychologist and expert witness with a background in the psychology of child sex abuse victims.

She testified that "acquaintance abuse," where the abuser is known to the child, is the most common type of child sex abuse. Guarnera said research shows those abusers use a psychological manipulation tactic called "grooming" to facilitate ongoing, repeated sexual access to a child and inhibit disclosure and detection.

According to Guarnera, these abusers seek out victims with broken families and from troubled backgrounds. They often ingratiate themselves with the victim's family. Research shows they will also gain access to victims by working for a youth-serving organization, like a school.

In this way, the abusers groom the family and the community -- just as they have the victim.

Additionally, Guarnera said hundreds of studies of child sex abuse victims have shown that delayed disclosure is the norm, not the exception -- meaning it should not be cause to doubt the allegations. She said decades of research support this.

Guarnera added that men are even less likely to disclose and more likely to wait longer. In one study, half of the male victims took 20 years or longer to disclose abuse.

When cross-examining Guarnera, Barnes' defense argued that this testimony was not relevant because she was not there when the abuse took place and she had never been present for any assault. The defense also called into question the validity of the studies the research was based on, claiming they were informed by "hearsay."

Notably, Guarnera said studies show only about 2 to 5% of child sex abuse claims turn out to be false.

The trial is expected to continue through Friday, Jan. 9.

Mariah Jallad and Clare Gehlich contributed to this report.