St. Helens principal facing felony criminal mistreatment charges amid teacher sex abuse scandal

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- The principal of St. Helens High School, Katy Wagner, has been charged with two counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment and four counts of first-degree criminal misconduct amidst sex abuse allegations against teachers at the school, Columbia County Court records show.

Wagner was put on administrative leave on Nov. 15 after news broke that a current teacher, Eric Stearns, and a former teacher, Mark Collins, were arrested for alleged sexual abuse. On Nov. 21, officials announced that Wagner was under investigation for allegedly failing to report safety concerns amidst sex abuse allegations against teachers at the school, authorities said.

Stearns and Collins were named in the criminal mistreatment charges that Wagner faces, alleging that she "unlawfully and knowingly withheld necessary and adequate physical care from the students of St. Helens High School," from Nov. 2018 to Nov. 2024.

The two criminal mistreatment charges are Class C felonies, according to court records.

While the four misconduct charges don't name any teachers, the indictment says that Wagner "did unlawfully and knowingly fail to perform duty imposed on her by law or inherent in the nature of her office, to wit: mandatory child abuse reporting, and the defendant was aware of and consciously disregarded the fact that the violation created risk of the commission of (a) sex crime against (a) vulnerable person."

TIMELINE: When St. Helens’ teacher sex abuse scandal began, latest investigations, what’s next

The four misconduct charges are considered misdemeanors.

Parents gathered at the St. Helens Village Inn Restaurant and Lounge Tuesday night after weeks of community organizing and protests in the wake of these sex abuse allegations. KOIN 6 broke the news to some of the parents about the charges against Wagner. Some called it welcome news while others said the fight isn't over.

"It's a relief that something is finally happening. Relief," said parent Stephanie Kroll, with tears in her eyes. "It's a step. So much more needs to be done, though."

A total of seven staff members with the St. Helens School District are under investigation by the Oregon Department of Human Services and St. Helens police in an ongoing sex abuse scandal involving students.

Superintendent Scot Stockwell is also under investigation for neglecting to report child safety concerns.

"A lot of kids are voiceless, and I think a lot of parents are feeling voiceless too. That nothing is done, nothing is documented. And we just need help, we need our kids to be safe," Kroll said.

Officials announced Friday morning that two more St. Helens High School employees were also being investigated on allegations of sex abuse, though they have not yet been named in a criminal investigation by St. Helens police. Authorities also said Friday that a St. Helens Middle School teacher was under investigation for "offensive physical contact."

Jeremiah Harrington, one of the many parents standing firm in support of St. Helens School District students, has been known as the "angry dad" during protests in recent weeks.

"Somebody needs to be a voice for these kids, and I'm going to make sure that that happens," he said. "This is going to be a long fight. There's going to be a lot of things that need to happen, and change."

St. Helens police first began its two-month investigation into the school’s sex abuse allegations in September.