Ex-Principal Gets Probation in Molestation
A former Los Angeles elementary school principal pleaded no contest this week to a misdemeanor charge of molesting a female student at an Echo Park elementary school.
Walter Chase Edmonds, 60, of West Hollywood entered the plea Tuesday in a Los Angeles Municipal Court. A no contest plea is the legal equivalent of a guilty plea, but cannot be used as evidence in a civil trial.
Commissioner Juelann Cathey sentenced Edmonds to three years of supervised probation, said Mike Qualls, spokesman for the Los Angeles city attorney’s office. Edmonds must also undergo psychological counseling during the probation period and complete 100 hours of community service, Qualls said.
The city attorney’s office filed three charges of child molestation against Edmonds in May. The charges alleged that between last October and May 1, Edmonds fondled three Mayberry Street Elementary School girls, aged 11, 12 and 13. Two of the charges were dismissed after Edmonds entered his plea.
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