Fifteen new victims have come forward with allegations against a former New York elementary school principal.
According to an indictment that was unsealed Monday, Kirk Ashton is now facing five additional counts of first-degree sexual abuse, 13 counts of second-degree course of sexual conduct against a child, and 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child. The new charges stem from events that date back to 2012, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.
Ashton, 51, was the Northwood Elementary School principal from 2004 to April 2021.
Ashton has now been accused of abusing 26 children since 2012. According to the indictment, this happened at least five times a year for four years.
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Previously, Ashton was criminally accused of molesting 11 boys on school grounds dating from 2017 to this year, according to prosecutors.
Ashton is currently on paid leave and being held at Niagara County Jail. He is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 25.
Ashton was arrested after the Bivona Child Advocacy Center introduced its curriculum to children and educated them on sexual abuse.
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Ashton’s lawyer, Robert King, didn’t immediately respond to an email and a phone message requesting comment on the new charges Tuesday.
Ashton pleaded not guilty to the original charges in April.
