NOVI, Mich. (WXYZ) — A former substitute teacher who allegedly sexually assaulted three female students in Highland Township will be heading to trial.
Timothy Daugherty, 61, was in court on Wednesday. He’s accused of inappropriately touching students at Spring Mills Elementary School in the Huron Valley Schools district.
Daugherty faces multiple felony charges of criminal sexual conduct. The judge on Wednesday ruled there’s enough evidence to send the case to trial.
Watch our previous coverage when Daugherty was charged in the video below:
The investigation started in April, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said, and a group of parents reached out to 7 News Detroit with their concerns.
In May during a school board meeting, parents brought their concerns to the district. At the time, Daugherty had been pulled from the classroom, but it wasn't until September when he was officially charged with six counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Watch our report from the May board meeting in the video below:
On Wednesday, the judge heard testimony from three children. All of the alleged victims are under the age of 13. Daugherty also addressed the court. However, parents and the media were not allowed in the courtroom during testimony.
“It’s heartbreaking to hear your child describe something like that. It’s hard to get out of bed,” said Tori, a Huron Valley parent.
Parents who spoke with us outside of court only gave their first names to avoid identifying their children.
“It’s terrifying being in this position. It is a position that nobody as a parent should ever have to go through. But we’re going to continue to be here to support our children,” Tori said.
The families are also pursuing a lawsuit against the school district, claiming it failed to act and protect their kids.
Watch our previous coverage of the planned lawsuit below:
“The wheel of justice sometimes turns slow and it's finally coming around and we have faith the right thing will be done,” parent Richard said.
In a statement, the district said it’s fully cooperating, adding that:
“The safety and well-being of our students remains our highest priority, and we take all allegations of misconduct with the utmost seriousness. As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are unable to provide further details at this time.”
The hearing was only to determine the next steps in the criminal case. There is a civil case that has not yet been filed.
Daugherty's attorney, Raymond Cassar, told 7 News Detroit over the phone that he believes his client's behavior in the classroom was not criminal.
“I think they're misconstruing the hugs into something inappropriate because someone put it in their heads it was inappropriate,” Cassar said.
Cassar says the incidents in question happened inside the classroom with others around including on occasion the classroom teacher.
“He never told them (students) not to tell anyone or that this was a secret — none of that," Cassar said. “No one else in the school observed anything inappropriate."
