Thomas Khoe Arrested
Posted by Webmaster in Band/Music, Hall of Shame, High Schools, ME-FV, South Carolina
(09/11/07 – Initial BBT Report)
Thomas Newton Khoe, 36, former band director for Chapman High School, in Spartanburg, South Carolina was arrested yesterday on allegations that he inappropriately touched four female students, ages 15 and 16-years-old,
Allegedly Khoe entered a room where one of the girls was dressing and offered her $5,000 to have sex with him. The same girl claims that Khoe placed his hand near her crotch, pushed her toward his crotch, came into a room where she was changing clothes and told her repeatedly he wanted to have sex with her.
Another student said Khoe had grabbed her buttocks and grazed her breasts on top of her T-shirt.
While another said Khoe has “a habit” of dancing with color guard members and rubbing his buttocks on them while dancing. She also said that he also had a habit of kissing his thumbs, then placing his thumbs on her lips and the lips of other students in the color guard, that he once put his hands on her face and licked her sunglasses, and on one occasion repeatedly attempted to grab a cell phone from her back pocket.
The fourth girl said Khoe once pulled her into an equipment storage room, closed the door and made a comment about where she should touch him. She also said Khoe made inappropriate comments to color guard members as they stretched or changed clothes.
Khoe is charged with four counts of aggravated assault and battery, four counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and one count of criminal solicitation of a minor.
Reportedly, on August 29th the four girls went to school administrators complaining of Khoe’s actions. Investigators say that the alleged misconduct started near the beginning of the 2006 school year and continued into the current new school year.
It is being reported that Khoe is being held in the Spartanburg County Detention Center on $60,000 bond.
Khoe who has been the band director at Chapman High School for seven years is no longer employed by the school.
Update 9/14/07:
Mike Rudasill, the lawyer for Thomas Khoe, says that not only is his client innocent, that other people were present on the dates of the complaints and that Khoe is requesting a hearing with the school system and may seek reinstatement to his former position.
Update 9/27/07:
Thomas Khoe has submitted his letter of resignation to school trustees Tuesday, almost a month after he was fired from the district. This action on Khoe’s part formally terminates his relationship with Chapman High School.
07/06/09 – Guilty Plea
Reportedly, Thomas Khoe has pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, and no contest to a third count of the same offense.
Khoe was sentenced to six years in prison, which was suspended to four years of probation with the first two years essentially home detention with exceptions to go to work, church, medical appointments and to purchase groceries.
Whether Khoe will be required to register as a sex offender will be determined after completion of a psychiatric evaluation.
References:
Former Chapman band director pleads guilty to assault (07/06/09)
Former Chapman H.S. Band Director Pleads Guilty (07/06/09)
Former Chapman High band director resigns (9/27/07)
Dozens come to Chapman band teacher’s defense (9/15/07)
Former Chapman band director says not guilty of sexual misconduct (9/14/07)
Former Chapman High teacher faces sex charges (9/11/07)
Former Band Director Accused of Touching Girls, Offering Money for Sex (9/11/07)
Deputies: Band Director Offered Student $5,000 For Sex (9/10/07)
Upstate band director accused of touching girls inappropriately (9/10/07)
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Another band teacher in a heap of trouble; here we go again.
$5,000.00 is a lot of money! I bet a lot of girls would have taken him up on that offer. The problem I have with this case is that all the evidence seems to be based on accusations; no cell phone records, no emails, nothing in writing, and apparently no eyeball witnesses.
Another thing that bothers me about this case is that on August 29 all four girls went to school administrators to file accusations against the music man. Were they telling the truth, or did they just have a hard on for the guy?
I know of a teacher who was accused of physical abuse by not four, but several 5th grade girls. The local newspaper interviewed the girls and took pictures of scratches and bruises on some of the girls’ arms and neck. And the local newspaper quoted the superintendent as saying “This is a situation of a teacher going berserk.” Fortunately for her the truth eventually came out. The scratches and bruises were self inflicted. The last time I talked to this teacher, she told me that she was suing the district.
So many teachers seem to feel the need to establish a close bond or relationship with their students, and this is a very dangerous attitude to have. By watching the same movies and television shows and listening to the same music as their students do, they seek to eliminate the generation gap that exists between them.
Khoe appears to be a rotund individual with a desperate attempt to “fit in” with the teenage crowd. This man probably never had much of a social life when he was in high school. Now that he’s in a position of authority, he is better able to make himself the center of attention. By dancing with the color guard members and kissing his thumb and placing it on their lips, he not only made a damn fool out of himself but lost all credibility as well.
With little or no credibility to his name, Khoe didn’t have much of a choice but to accept a plea bargain. Being sent to prison would have been an almost certain death sentence for the music man. At the very least, he would be raped and beaten until he wished he were dead.
I don’t know how some people sleep at night with the all the the lies they tell. All of the stories about why these girls did this is bull!!! They came forward because what he was doing was wrong, plain and simple. They had the courage to stand up and say so. Some people just can’t handle the truth.
All you naysayers gotta be eatin’ crow now that tommy’s pled guilty to assaulting his “hoes”…
I would also like to add to the update above, that the Spartanburg paper clearly stated that his resignation was accepted WITHOUT an admission of guilt. He will be exonerated, I am sure, but now his reputation has been dragged through the collective mud. He is a completely safe teacher, I was his student for four years and have been friends with him ever since. He is an excellent educator, and does not deserve this kind of slander.
Seeing as how the district reinstated him to allow him to resign, rather than leaving him fired, screams that they realize they were premature in firing him. He didn’t do this, and it will come out.
I know who one of these girls is and believe that they started this as a harmless joke, but took it so far, that they can’t stop now…therefore, they just keep lying. All four of them should be given lie detector tests and when they are failed (which everyone knows they will) they should be expelled from school for making such heinous allegations.
Concerned citizen is exactly right. These 4 little girls are going around school bragging about what they did. The principal and several teachers have been told the truth, but the principal will not let anyone come to Mr khoes defense. He has ambitions of becoming superintendant. He has told faculty to mind their own business or they could end up without jobs. everyone who knows Mr khoe , knows he is innocent.
I don’t think I know anyone who knows him that thinks he did it. I stand behind him and his attempts to get his job back. As a former student and present friend to him and many who know him, we support him and think the girls should be the ones being ridiculed.
Everyone knows this story is crap, these girls made it up bc he refused to kick someone out of band that they disliked.
Note: This comment was edited by the badbadteacher.com webmaster to remove a derogatory reference to the alleged victims. Please see the page ‘About Comments’ for reference
These allegations are completely ridiculous and false. This is a good name who has not been asked his side of the story. What is wrong with the media?