Former Chillicothe High School Principal, Jeffery Fisher, has resigned from his administrative position with the Chillicothe City School District as he prepares to defend himself against allegations of sexual battery involving two former students.
In press release issued Thursday by Fisher's legal defense, it was announced that Fisher would step down from his post to focus on defending the criminal charges filed against him.
Fisher's civil attorney expressed disappointment in the county prosecutor's decision to pursue the allegations after Fisher was previously investigated and cleared by the Ohio Department of Education in 2012. Fisher is due back in court in February.
The following is full text from the release: (When attempting to post the physical copy of the release, the text became too small to read)
From the Office of Rex H. Elliott, Esq...
Jeff Fisher has decided to leave his position within the Chillicothe City School District ("District") to focus on defending the criminal charges filed against him in Ross County.
Mr. Fisher "has decided to step away from his administrative position because of his concern that the charges against him have become a distraction to the District, which is not what Jeff wants," says Rex H. Elliott, Esq., Mr. Fisher's civil attorney.
Mr. Elliott commented further that, "In the near term, Jeff intends to focus all of his time and attention to his family and defending his character and innocence in the criminal trial.As a father and husband, his most important obligations are raising his children and being with his family through this difficult time. We are disappointed that the prosecutor has decided to pursue allegations that are 5 years old and have been dredged up for the second time after Mr. Fisher was previously investigated and cleared by the Ohio Department of Education and District in 2012. Fisher has pleaded not guilty to the charges. We believe both the State and the District have been provided evidence that the young women the charges involve previously denied any relationship in private conversations when questioned; additionally, at least one of the accusers has stated that she fabricated evidence. In this particular case, reserving judgment until all the evidence and sworn testimony is presented is integral and necessary for due process. Enough damage has been done to Mr. Fisher and his family simply by being indicted for these questionable charges and he is resigning because the current unfortunate situation will prevent him from being able to effectively serve in any capacity with the District until after he is cleared of wrongdoing."
When asked if Mr. Fisher would comment, Mr. Elliott stated, "Jeff believes it is a great time to be a Cavalier and he wishes he could continue his journey with the District. But, for the greater good of the school and community he loves, and because the integrity of the District is more important than any single person, Jeff does not want the current events to cause further disruption. Mr. Fisher dedicated his professional life to the well-being of all of the students and teachers of the District and was previously named Ohio's Principal of the Year in his former capacity as principal of Chillicothe High School showcasing his talents as an educator. Mr. Fisher maintains his absolute innocence and would like to express gratitude for all the private support he is receiving."
It is expected that Mr. Fisher will stand trial this year. When Mr. Fisher is found not guilty of these 5-year-old accusations, "we intend to rectify the massive insult to Mr. Fisher’s reputation created by these allegations of which Mr. Fisher has been cleared twice previously," said Mr. Elliott.