Witness says teachers at Prince George school were aware former school administrator sexually assaulted them

Editor’s Note: This article contains graphic descriptions of allegations of child sexual abuse. Viewer discretion is advised.

PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- A witness in the child sex abuse trial of a former Prince George County school administrator testified that teachers knew about the alleged abuse for decades before an arrest was made.

The third 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 Wednesday, Jan. 7, with one witness detailing the sexual abuse they say they experienced while on a trip with Barnes.

Previously, on day two of the trial, we heard from Barnes' accuser, who detailed the sexual abuse they say they endured for years. You can read 8News' report on their testimony here.

PREVIOUS: Trial begins for former Prince George school administrator accused of sexual abuse

Of the nine charges Barnes faces in this trial, two of the sexual battery charges were dismissed on Wednesday because the accuser was only under the age of 15 for one of the alleged incidents.

Since the accuser turned 15 years old during the abuse, only one charge of sexual battery of a person aged 13 to 14 was proved by the Commonwealth, leading to an updated total of 7 charges.

8News is withholding identifying information about many of those involved in this case in order to protect their privacy.

Commonwealth calls two witnesses to the stand

On Wednesday, the Commonwealth called two witnesses who each spoke about encounters they say they had with Barnes during their childhood.

It's important to note that, while these witnesses make accusations of child sex crimes, none of the charges Barnes faces during this trial are associated with their allegations. The seven charges currently being deliberated are associated with the accuser who testified during trial day two.

Witness alleges Barnes sexually assaulted them, friend

The first witness alleged they had also been assaulted by Barnes as a child.

While in eighth grade at a Prince George County school, the witness said they met Barnes because he was their younger sibling's teacher.

The witness testified that, in 1975, they went on a road trip with Barnes, another young child, an adult friend of Barnes, Barnes' mother and another adult woman. The witness was 15 years old at the time.

During that trip, the witness said they and the other child were dropped off at their hotel room while Barnes and his friend went out drinking.

The witness said they woke up later that night to Barnes sexually assaulting them. The witness immediately ran to the bathroom and locked themselves in. They spent hours inside, wondering how they could escape.

According to the witness, in the morning, the other child knocked on the bathroom door, crying. They allegedly told the witness that Barnes sexually assaulted them the same way.

After the trip, the witness said they and the friend each reported the assault to their parents, but didn't report it to police or any other authority figure out of fear that more people would find out.

Despite this, the witness said the story of the assault did spread to the school, and that "teachers didn't believe" the witness. As a result, the witness changed schools.

Barnes was not arrested on any abuse charges until July 30, 2024. Through their testimony, the witness suggests the Prince George school division knew about the sexual abuse allegations for years.

In cross-examination, the defense noted that every other person on the trip -- aside from the witness and Barnes -- is dead and cannot be asked to verify the story.

The witness, who never met and does not know the accuser, was allegedly interviewed by Virginia State Police (VSP) about the abuse. The special agent they spoke to testified that the witness mentioned people "tell them they have memory problems."

When the agent later called to clarify that comment, they said the witness said: "I don't have dementia or nothing, I'm just old."

Witness who had a romantic relationship with accuser testifies

The second witness called by the Commonwealth on Wednesday was a person who dated the accuser during the period of abuse in the 1980s.

That witness claimed that the romantic relationship between themself and the accuser began when they were both in seventh grade. At that time, Barnes was the witness's guidance counselor.

The witness testified that the accuser showed them pornography in their room at Barnes' home.

Starting in 1986, the witness said they attended parties at the Barnes home where alcohol was available. Barnes, to the witness's knowledge, was the only adult present.

According to the witness, by the end of the 8-year romantic relationship between them and the accuser, the latter was angrier and more easily agitated -- which they noted played a big part in the breakup.

Defense begins to call its witnesses

The defense began calling witnesses Wednesday, starting with the accuser's estranged spouse.

Accuser's estranged spouse testifies against them

While the spouse and the accuser are still legally married, the spouse testified that the accuser asked for a divorce in 2023.

The spouse testified that, since 2020, the accuser's behavior became much more erratic and they became obsessed with conspiracy theories. The relationship soured over the next few years, leading up to 2023, when the accuser asked for a divorce.

Around this time, the spouse said the accuser began sending threatening text messages to the spouse, their children and Barnes. The defense also showed these texts as evidence, including one from the accuser to Barnes that read, "Text [my spouse] again... I will beat your head in with that same phone you sent the text from."

Another text read, "I will kill you on the spot."

The defense argued that the accuser believed Barnes was the reason for their separation, as evidenced by texts from the accuser to Barnes that said, "You drove me and [spouse] to separation papers."

The spouse testified that this was not the case and that Barnes was a loving parent and grandparent figure in their life. The spouse added that they continue to live in Barnes' home to this day.

The spouse said that the accuser never suggested they should be cautious of Barnes.

Both of the accuser's adult children take the stand

Both children also testified that the accuser became irrational, erratic and angry around the time that they made their accusations in 2023.

The older child testified that they only learned of the abuse allegations from the accuser's social media post about it.

The children also shared threatening and demeaning texts sent from the accuser, including:

"Next time I'm busting your teeth out."

"Death is not off the table right now."

"Waiting on your worthless a-- ... idiot."

The children testified that no acts by Barnes caused the family to separate, but behavior from the accuser, like in the texts above, did.

Family friends testify against accuser

Several members of a family who say they were close to the accuser's family for decades also testified.

They all said that the accuser never cautioned them about Barnes, even when it came to their young children. They said their children would often visit the Barnes home and that they never had any problems.

They also witnessed the accuser's mental state deteriorate and received alarming text messages.

In one of the texts, the accuser expressed anger that the family friends had dinner with Barnes, calling Barnes "the largest monster in PG."

After all testimonies concluded, both the Commonwealth and the defense rested their cases. Closing arguments and jury deliberations are expected to begin on Thursday, Jan. 8.

Barnes is facing two other sexual abuse charges in different cases set to go to trial later this year.