Chelsea
Barnett, of Waitsfield, Vt., was released on conditions following his arraignment in Orange Superior Court in Chelsea on a felony count of sexual exploitation of a minor.
The 49-year-old Barnett and his attorney, Brooks McArthur, declined to comment as they left the courthouse. But McArthur last month said his client denies any wrongdoing.
A police affidavit written by Orange County Sheriff’s Department Detective Lt. Scott Clouatre alleges Barnett engaged in sex acts between September 2011 and June 2012 with a 16-year-old girl who was a student at Randolph High.
The girl told a current staff member about the “inappropriate relationship,” and that person in turn went to authorities in December.
Now 22, the alleged victim told a forensic interviewer that she confided in Barnett at a time when she was struggling with depression and mental health problems, the affidavit states.
She told the interviewer she viewed him as a safe person, and that the two of them engaged in kissing and digital penetration several times while in his office as well as in another part of the school, according to the affidavit.
She said she never told Barnett “no” and that the situation was consensual.
Orange County State’s Attorney William Porter charged Barnett with sexual exploitation of a minor, a charge that arises if the person is at least four years older than the minor and is in a position of power, authority or supervision over the minor.
Because the victim was 16 years of age or older, there are no allegations of sexual assault, Porter said. The age of consent in Vermont is 16.
The girl told the interviewer that she and Barnett discussed what might happen if someone found out about their relationship and that Barnett would dodge the question.
“She knew what was going on was wrong, but she convinced herself that it was OK,” Clouatre wrote in the affidavit.
Barnett and the student’s physical relationship ended in spring 2012 when the girl became involved with someone else, the affidavit states.
After she graduated, she and Barnett stayed in contact. She said she only recently disclosed the relationship to a college friend. She then disclosed it to her therapist, the affidavit states.
In an interview with police, Barnett denied the allegations made by the girl, saying he “never had inappropriate relations with a student.”
He called his relationship with the girl “predominantly a mentoring” one, according to the affidavit.
Last month, his attorney said: “He intends to aggressively defend himself against the charges.”
Barnett is due back in court on May 30.
Barnett started working in Randolph in 2007. The Orange Southwest School Board voted earlier this month to terminate his employment.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.
Clarification
This story has been updated to clarify what the alleged victim told investigators had occurred.