PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va. — The trial of a longtime Prince George County educator accused of sexually abusing a boy in the 1980s will not take place in Prince George, a judge ruled Thursday.
During a pre-trial motion hearing in Prince George Circuit Court, the judge said the upcoming trial of William A. Barnes Jr., scheduled to begin March 16, will be moved to another part of the state. The judge recommended keeping it in the 6th Judicial Circuit of Virginia and suggested Greensville County, but attorneys requested moving it even further out of the area. The exact location will be determined by the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Both the prosecution and the defense support the change of venue, in part because of CBS 6's extensive coverage of the accusations against Barnes, according to Laura French, who was in the courtroom.
Barnes was indicted by a grand jury in September 2024 on a single felony count of aggravated sexual battery of a minor.
The accuser claims Barnes touched his genitals at a sleepover back in the 1980s, when the alleged victim was 14 years old. He says he reported it in 2014. Prince George County Police confirm they received an anonymous tip, but it was not investigated.
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Col. Keith Early sent us a statement that read in part, “PGPD did receive a Crime Solvers tip from an anonymous caller in February of 2014. An incident report or formal investigation was not generated from this tip. The officer who reviewed the tip is no longer employed with the department. We strive to be transparent, open, and honest with our community members. We are also committed to continually assessing our performance and improving whenever possible."
This will be the second criminal trial he will face connected to sex crime charges. His first trial, in which the accuser was Barnes's own adopted son, ended in a mistrial last month. This was also cited as a reason to move the trial, as well as trouble seating a jury.
Prince George Commonwealth's Attorney Susan Fierro argued Thursday that Barnes had a "common plan" as they asked the court to allow evidence of prior bad acts or the testimony of five other alleged victims in the second trial.
“If the prosecutor can put in evidence of other occasions where people have alleged that this same conduct has occurred and in occurring in very similar manner, which is what they're seeking to do, then obviously that goes a long, long way to prove in the case," said CBS 6 legal analyst Todd Stone.
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Fierro said the "essence" of each of Barnes's crimes involved isolation, and the alleged victims were the same age and gender. She went on to say Barnes was gratified and then things stopped. The commonwealth said the alleged crimes were not a mistake.
Defense attorney Craig Cooley argued if the testimony is admissible, it would be tremendously prejudicial.
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“If the judge allows the evidence of prior bad acts, then the way that it could potentially help the defense is that it seals in something that might be an appellate issue. It depends on what the basis for the ruling is,“ said Stone.
The judge denied a defense motion to dismiss a felony sex charge against Barnes from the 1970s. That trial is scheduled for July.
The judge will rule on the prior bad acts motion soon.
Barnes is a well-known figure in Prince George, where the former assistant superintendent worked for the county school system for nearly 40 years before retiring in 2023.
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