Sex scandal cases may go to Grand Jury

By Lisa Majors-Duff

Jack Herle to serve as BR resource officer

Assistant District Attorney Sally Waters announced Tuesday that the cases involving Blue Ridge School Athletic Director Joe Brooks, the school's former resource officer, Robbie Hess, and a former student, Jeremy Stewart, have been rescheduled for the Aug. 7 session.

It's also possible, sources say, that the district attorney's office may seek indictments against the three during an upcoming Grand Jury session. That group is scheduled to meet July 23 at the Justice Center.

"That's the normal procedure when you have a defendant facing a felony," said Jackson County Sheriff's Department Detective David Grant.

As for the investigation in to the case, "everything basically stands like it did at the last press conference (June 21)," Grant said Wednesday. "As of right now we don't have any additional information."

The case being investigated involves the video taping of arranged sexual activity between students at Blue Ridge School and Brooks' home. At least one of the students involved is believed to have been paid for having sex, officers say.

Some 47 charges have been filed against Brooks, 29, including three counts of sexual offense with a student, seven counts of promoting prostitution of a minor, six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of crimes against nature and two counts of breaking and entering.

Hess, 29, who resigned from the Sheriff's Department June 11, has been charged with two counts of taking indecent liberties with a student, aiding and abetting a felony and accessory after the fact to a felony.

A second deputy, Tom Tenhagen, who was hired by the school system to provide overnight security for the school, also resigned as a result of the scandal at Blue Ridge, according to Sheriff Jim Cruzan, but charges against Tenhagen are not expected.

Jeremy Stewart, 18, a recent Blue Ridge graduate and Bobcat basketball standout, is facing seven counts of statutory rape of a 14-year-old freshman in connection with the case.

Attorneys for each of the defendants, who have all been released from jail on bond, were also announced Tuesday. According to Waters, Brooks is represented by Reid Brown of Waynesville, while Hess has retained Al Messer of Asheville. Jack Stewart, who also practices law in Asheville, has agreed to represent Jeremy Stewart, Waters said.

Officers investigating the case have released few details, though search warrants on file have shed some light what is alleged to have taken place at the K-12 school. A search warrant for Brooks' office at the school indicates a 15-year-old female student was taken there for sexual activities with a male on three occasions in February and March. She alleges that Brooks approached the male prior to the activity and offered the use of his office.

A search warrant for the Rolling Green home of Brooks' parents, Lionel and Linda Brooks, was issued after officers demonstrated a need to find a VHS-C video cassette recorder "used to assist the defendant in recording his crimes." A camcorder was seized in the search, as were several video tapes.

The crimes under investigation at Blue Ridge allegedly began in December when Brooks provided beer to two underage male students. Court papers indicate the situation escalated in February when female and male students began performing sex acts with Brooks' encouragement. By April, Brooks, who was in his first year as athletic director at BR, had become sexually involved with a student, court papers allege. Brooks also taught physical education and coached baseball at the school.

Some of the charges against Brooks and Hess are under a relatively new law, which makes it illegal for a teacher or coach to have any sexual involvement with a student regardless of the student's age, Waters said.

With school scheduled to get under way Aug. 9, Cruzan has announced that Deputy Jack Herle of Whittier will serve as Blue Ridge's resource officer. Herle, 55, has served as a courtroom bailiff and part-time patrol officer with the Sheriff's Department since July 1996. A 25-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Herle has three letters of commendation in his Sheriff's Department file, Cruzan said.

"In my opinion, (Herle) will make an outstanding school resource officer," Cruzan said. "He'll be firm but fair."

Herle is being trained for his new duties by Smoky Mountain High resource officer Keith Webb, who "has done nothing but an exceptional job" since being assigned to the county's largest school, Cruzan said.

Back to Archive: 07/12/01.