Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 2, 1993 TAG: 9303020066
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
SCHOOL COUNSELOR INDICTED ON SEX CHARGE
A Roanoke grand jury on Monday indicted a high school counselor on charges of having sex with a 13-year-old girl he was supposed to be counseling.John Canty, 33, faces a charge of carnal knowledge of a child - an allegation of having sexual relations with someone 13 to 15 years old without the use of force.
The indictment alleges that the offense happened in June 1992 at Canty's Roanoke home, where he had taken the girl as part of his efforts to persuade her to stay in school.
Canty, a dropout-prevention counselor and a junior varsity football coach at William Fleming High Canty School, often deals with at-risk students as part of his grant-funded job.
He gained attention in the summer of 1990 when he accused city police of using excessive force to arrest him after he tried to assist two young girls charged with trespassing at a fast-food restaurant.
Canty suggested that his complaints - which led the NAACP to call for an investigation of the Police Department - might be related to the charge against him.
"It's nothing but an attempt to destroy my credibility," Canty said after learning of the indictment against him late Monday afternoon.
He declined to elaborate, but said he may hold a news conference later in the week to dispute the charges.
Because the grand jury indictment came late in the afternoon, it was unclear what status Canty will have with the school system while the charge is pending. Fay Pleasants, executive for staff development and personnel for city schools, said she was not aware of the charge.
No trial date has been set, court officials said.
Canty faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Because he is not considered a risk to flee, Chief Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Betty Jo Anthony said he will be allowed to turn himself in to police and immediately post bond.
After his altercation with police in 1990, Canty was charged with impeding police. He claimed that police beat him with nightsticks, sprayed him with Mace and made racial slurs after he tried to assist two young girls charged with trespassing late at night outside a fast-food restaurant on Hershberger Road.
Investigations by both the Police Department and the U.S. Justice Department determined that police did not use excessive force, but a judge also dismissed the charge against Canty after commenting that police used poor judgment.
Canty's allegations were one reason for the creation of a city task force that urged better community relations within the Police Department and stepped-up efforts to recruit minority police officers.