Steubenville schools chief quits in deal to drop case tied to rape

The Steubenville, Ohio, schools superintendent resigned Monday as part of a deal to dismiss all charges against him for allegedly deleting evidence and misleading authorities investigating the 2012 rape of a teenage girl by two football players.

Michael McVey, 51, of Steubenville had been charged with tampering with evidence, obstructing justice and related crimes. Prosecutors said he erased emails and hard drives — or had someone wipe them — and lied about the school’s review of the incident, created emails with bogus information and directed others to create records after the fact. He also concealed information about a party that occurred four months before the rape, rumored to have involved teen drinking and sex, according to court documents.

The deal was announced before a trial scheduled to begin Monday for Mr. McVey. As part of the agreement, he is ineligible to work for Steubenville schools again.

“I am satisfied that he has been held accountable for his actions with this agreement and consider this a just result,” Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said in a news release.

Mr. McVey, hired by the school district in 1997 as an assistant principal and superintendent since 2008, had been on paid leave since his November 2013 indictment by a special grand jury. Neither he nor his attorney, Charles Bean, could not be reached.

Attorney general’s office spokesman Dan Tierney said the school district must formally accept the resignation before the charges are officially dropped. A representative with the district could not be reached.

As part of the agreement, Mr. McVey also is barred from working for the Steubenville City Schools. John Charlton, Ohio Department of Education spokesman, said he couldn’t discuss specific cases, but noted that if an educator is “fired or resigns under pressure,” the district must refer the case to the department’s Office of Professional Conduct.

That office can investigate a referral and take disciplinary action, ranging from a letter of admonishment to revoking a license.

The two Steubenville High School football players, Trent Mays and Ma’Lik Richmond, both now 18, were found responsible in juvenile court for the rape in March 2013. Both served time in state juvenile detention and have since been released.

William Rhinaman, the Steubenville schools’ former technology director, is awaiting trial on charges including tampering with evidence and obstructing justice.