Teacher placed on leave without pay

MATTAWA — Wahluke High School art teacher John Ball was placed on administrative leave June 7, pending further investigation into allegations of indecent exposure against him.

Interim superintendent of the Wahluke School District Cece Mahre said in a phone interview Friday "we had become aware of the allegations against him and told him he was on administrative leave without pay pending investigation of the trial."

Ball was charged with one count of indecent exposure on May 9.

The allegations stem from an incident which took place July 15, 2005 at a campground in Plymouth, Wash., where Ball was at a campsite adjacent to a large group of adult campers.

"That group of campers noticed the defendant staring at them for a long period of time," said Scott Johnson, deputy prosecutor for Benton County. "Then the group recognized that the defendant was touching himself while he was looking at them."

Johnson added Ball is alleged to have been walking around his campsite, after the incident, in a shirt without pants or underwear on and "exposing himself to the group."

On June 7 Ball was arraigned and entered a plea of not guilty. At that hearing a date was set for an omnibus hearing for June 28, with a pre-trial hearing set for Aug. 2 and a trial date Aug. 14.

The Herald was unable to locate a contact number for Ball for further comment. A message left for him through the school district was not returned.

Mahre said the district is not opening Ball's position for rehire at this time, but will wait until the investigation into the allegations is complete.