Former Catholic School Staffer, Kimberly Suzanne Orange, Arrested on Sexual Assault Charges

According to The Virginia Gazette, a woman in James City County was arrested last Tuesday on charges of sexual assault from over 20 years ago.

Kimberly Suzanne Orange has been charged with three counts of indecent liberties by someone in a supervisory role and three counts of carnal knowledge of a child between 13 and 15 years old in relation to sexual assaults that are alleged to have occurred between 1996 and 1997.

Orange was a staff member at Walshingham Academy in Williamsburg, VA when a police investigation found that she was engaged in an “inappropriate relationship” with a 13-year-old student. After the school was notified of the investigation, Orange resigned from her position in 1996. A police report was filed but the student’s parents requested that they not press charges against Orange.

The sexual assaults were reported to the police again on July 24th of this year which led to these charges being filed. She is being held at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail without bond.

Attorney Commentary on Sexual Assault at Schools

Kevin Biniazan is a licensed attorney in Virginia and a frequent contributor to The Legal Herald. Kevin has experience in representing victims of child sex abuse in schools and has helped victims get the justice they deserve. He offered the following comments on the legal options for those sexually abused at a school:

“Sexual predators will often try and place themselves in positions of trust and power. This makes employment opportunities at schools a common target for predators. With so many sexual abuse cases at schools across the country, schools are required to be aware of the added risk of a predator applying for a job and taking measures to ensure they do not hire a predator.”

“Some of these measures can include extensive background checks and a rigorous interview process. Because of the high-risk factor I discussed earlier, these systems are essential to protect the safety of students. If a school doesn’t enact these additional safety measures they may be found negligent and be held liable for the sexual assault in a civil lawsuit.”

Location of Walsingham Academy in Williamsburg

Sources:

https://www.dailypress.com/virginiagazette/va-vg-walsingham-academy-staff-sexual-assault-20200818-w7zafkrutva3zak6soxoicjdpm-story.html