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Principal Raped Boy in Office, While Boy’s Parent Waited Outside

A former middle school principal in North Carolina is accused of sexually assaulting a student while the boy’s unsuspecting parent was outside the room.

David Ellis Edwards, 49, was arrested Friday and charged with second-degree forcible sex offense, sexual acts with a student, taking indecent liberties with a minor and crimes against nature, WTVD reported.

Deputies say that between 2009 and 2011, Edwards molested at least three boys between the ages of 11 and 14. At least one of the incidents allegedly occurred in Edward’s office while the victim’s parent sat in a nearby waiting area.

Edwards resigned from his position at Douglas Byrd Middle School, where he had been principal since 2010, in August, WNCN reported. Before that, he was principal of Ramsey Street Alternative School. Officials believe that all of the sexual assaults took place on the campuses of these two schools.

Authorities have also noted they “believe there were more than the three victims,”sheriff’s spokeswoman Debbie Tanna told the Fayetteville Observer.

WNCN: News, Weather for Raleigh. Durham, Fayetteville

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Politics sexual assault

Disgraced San Diago Mayor Bob Filner Will Step Down

After six weeks of heated controversy over the sexual harassment charges against him, San Diego Mayor Bob Filner has agreed to resign, CBS News’ Ben Tracy confirms.

The San Diego City Council on Friday voted 7-0 to accept Filner’s resignation as part of a deal his lawyers struck with the city attorney over a sexual harassment suit against him. As part of the deal, Filner will stay in office until Aug. 30.

As many as 18 different women have publicly accused the mayor of groping, forcible kisses, and unwanted touching. After Filner last monthdeclined to resign — instead opting to spend two weeks at a behavioral counseling clinic — the public pressure against the mayor intensified. San Diego residents have started a recall campaign, while the Democratic National Committee on Friday unanimously voted to demand Filner’s resignation.

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Military Politics Rape sexual assault

Report: 53% of Military Sexual Assault Are Against Other Men

A new Pentagon report shows that most of the sexual assault in the military are against men.

In its latest report on sexual assault, the Pentagon estimated that 26,000 service members experienced unwanted sexual contact in 2012, up from 19,000 in 2010. Of those cases, the Pentagon says, 53 percent involved attacks on men, mostly by other men.

“It’s easy for some people to single out women and say: ‘There’s a small percentage of the force having this problem,’ ” said First Lt. Adam Cohen, who said he was raped by a superior officer. “No one wants to admit this problem affects everyone. Both genders, of all ranks. It’s a cultural problem.”

Though women, who represent about 15 percent of the force, are significantly more likely to be sexually assaulted in the military than men, experts say assaults against men have been vastly underreported. For that reason, the majority of formal complaints of military sexual assault have been filed by women, even though the majority of victims are thought to be men.

“Men don’t acknowledge being victims of sexual assault,” said Dr. Carol O’Brien, the chief of post-traumatic stress disorder programs at the Bay Pines Veterans Affairs Health Care System in Florida, which has a residential treatment program for sexually abused veterans. “Men tend to feel a great deal of shame, embarrassment and fear that others will respond negatively.”

But in recent months, intense efforts on Capitol Hill to curb military sexual assault, and the release of a new documentary about male sexual assault victims in the military, “Justice Denied,” have brought new attention to male victims. Advocates say their plight shows that sexual assault has risen not because there are more women in the ranks but because sexual violence is often tolerated.

“I think telling the story about male victims is the key to changing the culture of the military,” said Anuradha K. Bhagwati, executive director of the Service Women’s Action Network, an advocacy group that has sharply criticized the Pentagon’s handling of sexual assault. “I think it places the onus on the institution when people realize it’s also men who are victims.”

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