Former Principal Ordered Held Without Bond in Sex Case Involving Girl, 11
Originally published by The Associated Press, June 13, 2001
HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) — A judge denied bond Tuesday to a former Baptist school principal accused of having sex with an 11-year-old girl during a school camping expedition and a cross-country trip.
William A. Beith, was arrested Tuesday, May 8, 2001, in Las Vegas on federal charges of coercing and enticing a minor into sexual acts and transporting a minor across state lines for sexual purposes. William A. "Andy" Beith, 29, has been in custody since being arrested May 1 when police spotted him and the girl in a vehicle near the Las Vegas Strip.
Beith was charged last week by a federal grand jury with two counts of crossing state lines with intent to engage in a sexual act with a person under age 12. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison on each count.
Beith allegedly had sex with the girl in April during a Liberty Baptist Academy camping trip to Michigan. The girl's parents told reporters last month that they had complained to authorities that Beith became sexually involved with the girl that week.
Beith also allegedly had sex with the girl while they were on the run through 11 states, a trip that ended in Las Vegas. He was fired from the school after the two disappeared.
A hearing is scheduled July 3 to decide whether the girl should remain in state custody. She has been kept from her parents except for supervised visits since she complained last month that she had been sexually abused earlier.
Lake County Prosecutor Bernard A. Carter said his office is conducting an independent criminal investigation focusing on the girl's father. The father denies sexually abusing her.
