WARREN Prosecutor wants jail time for former athletic director

The student said Carmichael fondled her while she used the phone.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- An assistant Trumbull County prosecutor will recommend jail time for a former Champion High School athletic director found guilty of two misdemeanor charges.
It will be up to Judge Peter Kontos of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court, however, to decide if George Carmichael goes to jail, said Tom Wrenn, an assistant county prosecutor.
During a brief hearing Monday, Carmichael pleaded no contest to one charge each of dereliction of duty and menacing.
The judge found Carmichael, 60, guilty of both charges. Sentencing will take place after a background check is completed by the county adult probation department.
To give up license
Carmichael also agreed to surrender his teaching license.
The Cortland man could receive a maximum of 120 days in jail, court officials said.
Carmichael retired last school year shortly after a high-school junior said he fondled her.
Wrenn said Carmichael is accused of fondling the student, 16, in December 2002.
A civil suit filed by the girl and her mother says the girl asked to use Carmichael's office telephone Dec. 19 to call her mother. The girl had needed something from home.
Suit's allegation
When she attempted to use the telephone, Carmichael grabbed her buttocks, the lawsuit alleges. Another student who was walking by his office saw what happened, the lawsuit notes.
The suit further contends that because of the school district's and Carmichael's actions, the girl has suffered severe emotional distress, including depression and panic attacks. The civil suit is pending.
sinkovich@vindy.com