PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va. — William Barnes Jr., the former Prince George County Public Schools assistant superintendent facing multiple felony child sex charges, has been granted bond three separate times. The decisions to grant Barnes those bonds have prompted some CBS 6 News viewers to ask why.
Barnes was first released on a $10,000 secured bond in August last year after spending several weeks in jail. At that time, he was facing nine felony child sex charges for allegedly assaulting his adopted son as a teen.
"First time he did it, I was 14 and a half. First time he actually sodomized me, I was 15," Donald Newbold said.
During the initial bond hearing, the Commonwealth's special prosecutor argued to keep Barnes behind bars, noting there would be multiple alleged victims. However, the defense successfully argued for his release, citing his clean record, community ties, and medical needs.
"The purpose of bond isn't to punish for the underlying crimes, it's to make sure that they show up in court again, so a court always looks at the prior record, that means convictions, not allegations, and their ties to the community and whether or not they're likely to show up for court again," CBS 6 Legal Analyst Todd Stone shared as an explanation for the court's reasoning.
WATCH: Former Virginia school administrator arrested, accused of child sex abuse
Since his initial release, Barnes has been indicted two more times on additional child sex crimes involving two more accusers.
In each case, he was granted bond – $2,000 in September 2024 and $12,000 in June.
These decisions prompted reactions on social media.
"The amount of the bond was a joke," one viewer posted.
Another questioned, "Please explain to me how someone with TEN FELONY charges is out walking around in the community?"
Stone addressed these concerns: "When they get new indictments, that doesn't change the equation really at all, because you're talking about offense dates that predate the time that he started on bond. If he was on bond and then committed a new offense, that would be a completely different story. But when you're talking about all old cases, then it's essentially the same analysis for a judge on each one of those."
"It's understandable that the community could be in an uproar over this," Stone said. "But you know other cases where you've got a more recent offense that might, in a mind of a judge, pose a greater flight risk or a greater threat to the community than a case where you've got 50-year-old cases where there's been nothing in between."
Barnes must follow multiple conditions while on bond, including no contact with his accusers and remaining at his Prince George residence. He is scheduled to appear in court on September 17, with his first trial beginning Oct. 8.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
