Residents of Chester County, PA were shocked when the 62 year old principal of a well known private school was taken into custody for sexual involvement with a minor student involving a minor. George James Symonds, who taught at the Concept School and was also the principal, has been charged with corrupting a minor and other related offenses.
Symonds was served with an arrest warrant at his home in Delaware and taken into custody. However, he did manage to get bail and secured his release after paying a bond of $100,000. While the defendant has denied any wrongdoing, the DA of Chester County clarified that he had no intentions of going easy on Symonds. The prosecutor said that Symonds had belied the trust of the parents who thought their children were safe at the academic establishment.
The school reacted to the arrest and the disturbing charges brought against Symonds by firing him. The victim of the crime who was abused from the age of 14 to 15 years offered insight into the perverted behavior of the defendant. Studying in the eighth grade at the time, the boy would often be called to the principal’s office for hug sessions.
Symonds would also discuss sexual acts with him and send him graphic texts and emails. At one point, the defendant implored the victim to not discuss these liaisons with anybody, confessing that if his behavior were to come to light, he would be arrested. This goes to show that Symonds was fully aware of his criminal misdoings yet chose to continue committing the crime.
Although the defendant did not issue a statement, his attorney offered a feeble defense saying that many of the incidents the victim spoke about never really took place. In the meanwhile, Concept School is now offering counseling sessions to its students in an attempt to find out if other children too were victimized.