Affidavit: Carlisle Junior High principal didn't report possible sex assault

CARLISLE, Texas (KLTV) - A junior high school principal was arrested Saturday after he allegedly failed to report a sexual assault. Paul Louis Richards, principal of Carlisle Junior High School, was booked into the Rusk County Jail on Saturday on a charge of failure to make a required child abuse report. According to an affidavit, on Sept. 23, 2022, Richards’ office was notified of an alleged sexual assault where a student was the victim. Richards was required under Texas Family Code chapter 261 to report the alleged crime to law enforcement within 48 hours of receiving knowledge of the incident. The affidavit states that by Sept. 28, 2022, Richards had still not reported the incident to law enforcement, despite having met with the alleged victim’s mother the day prior and also making several notes in a journal pertaining to possible criminal charges that might apply to the incident. “This clearly shows that Richards believed some sort of criminal act had been committed,” the affidavit states. Richards has since posted the $1,500 bond amount and has been released from the Rusk County Jail. KLTV has reached out to Carlisle ISD’s superintendent for comment and we will update this story as new information is received.