BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. — A former Summit Middle School gym teacher accused of inappropriately touching students was acquitted on all charges Wednesday.
Leonard Grams, 62, faced five charges of sex assault on a child and three counts of sex assault on a child by a person in a position of trust. A Summit County jury determined there was not enough evidence to find him guilty on any of the counts prosecutors attempted to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.
Grams testified in his own defense for three hours, his attorney Jake Lilly said. The three young accusers also took the stand.
Lilly released a statement on Grams' behalf Thursday, expressing his client's gratitude for the work of the jury. "It was a long, hard trial with lots of testimony and he’s grateful they took the time to sift through it and come to a just verdict."
However the matter is not closed yet; four current and former Summit County Schools administrators still face charges they failed to adequately report the claims against Grams, in violation of state mandatory reporting laws.
It began on Sept. 23, 2021 when a teenager at Summit Middle School told a school staff member that Grams had touched her breast, according to an affidavit.
The above video aired on Feb. 28
Summit Middle School Principal Greg Guevara conducted an investigation and determined the girl's claim "just wasn't sufficient," the affidavit says, although the result could have gone "either way."
When two more girls came forward with allegations of inappropriate touching two weeks later, District Human Resources Director Grant Schmidt looked into the matter, the affidavit says. Schmidt decided "it did not sound like Mr. Grams did anything inappropriate."
The affidavit says the district reached out to law enforcement on Oct. 27 after four additional students came forward with allegations of misconduct against Grams.
In all, seven students reported issues with Grams' behavior, ranging from touching of their butts and breasts to comments and "stares" that made them feel uncomfortable. The charges against Grams were based on three students' reports of misconduct.
In the affidavit, Grams denied any wrongdoing and said he felt "this was a coordinated attack against him." The affidavit says no similar claims of inappropriate behavior had been made against him in his nearly three decades with the district.
Three Summit County School District employees and one former employee were indicted by a grand jury in February "for failing to follow mandatory reporting requirements where child abuse was alleged" for waiting more than a month after the first allegations were made before telling law enforcement.
They are:
- Former Summit Middle School Principal Greg Guevara
- Summit Middle School Counselor Maureen Flannagan
- Former District HR Specialist Amanda Southern
- Former district HR Director Grant Schmidt
They were each charged with one count of failure to report child abuse or neglect, which is a misdemeanor. On Monday, Summit County Schools said Guevara and Southern are no longer employed by the district. Flannagan remains on administrative leave.
The indictment says Schmidt was concerned that once an allegation went public, a person is assumed guilty "and that's a part of why we made the decision as we got into it: we don't call the police right away, unless it's so doggone obvious," he's quoted as saying.
"Ms. Southern agreed with these statements, and explained that 'Grant and I have shared some personal experiences of being accused of something that didn't happen, and it's horrifying,' and that they wanted to make sure that Mr. Grams was 'absolutely protected,'" the indictment continues.
The indictment also says Schmidt said "if students tried again to raise allegations it would be 'nipped pretty quick' but that he 'can't speak to immature children and their decision-making skills.'"
The mandatory reporting law in Colorado applies to a multitude of professions, including school district employees. Prosecutors said mandatory reporters in Colorado must immediately report child abuse or neglect to the Department of Human Services, to law enforcement or to the state child abuse reporting hotline.
Grams resigned from his position in August 2022.
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