PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va. — A Prince George County judge has ruled that prosecutors cannot present testimony from five other accusers in the sexual abuse trial of a former assistant superintendent and coach.
William Barnes Jr. is charged with sexually abusing a teenager — now an adult — during a sleepover at Barnes's home in 1985. Prosecutors say Barnes touched the then-14-year-old's genitals while the boy was at a sleepover at his home. He was friends with Barnes’s adopted son, Donald Newbold, who is also accusing Barnes of sexually assaulting him. That trial ended in a hung jury in January and will be rescheduled on March 20.
Prosecutors asked the court to allow testimony from five other men who say Barnes abused them between 1970 and 1985, arguing the accounts showed a pattern of behavior.
Judge Carson Saunders Jr. denied that request on March 10, 2026.
In his ruling, Saunders said the testimony from two of the five accusers was too vague to be useful to jurors. He said accounts from two others contained "tremendous descrepencies" between what the men told police and what prosecutors included in court filings. The judge said those contradictions would likely confuse the jury.
The fifth accuser's account, the judge wrote, described conduct so different and more severe than what Barnes is charged with, that allowing it would risk inflaming the jury rather than helping them decide the facts of the case.
Barnes worked as a teacher, guidance counselor, and sports coach in Prince George and Sussex counties. He also allowed students facing problems at home to stay at his residence.
The case will now move forward based solely on the allegations made by the accuser listed as BSS in court documents. BSS confirmed for CBS 6 he anonymously reported Barnes to police in 2014. Prince George Police confirmed that an investigation never came from the report.
A change of venue was granted, and the three-day trial dates will be set March 23, in Suffolk where it will take place.
Barnes is also scheduled to go on trial in July for allegedly sexually assaulting a student he took on an overnight hockey trip in 1975.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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