A former Virginia City High School teacher has pleaded not guilty to charges he sexually assaulted a student in the late 1990s and improperly touched a student in 2007.
William Beeson entered his pleas in First District Court, where he is charged with one count of felony sexual assault and one count of gross misdemeanor unlawful contact with a child. The first incident allegedly occurred more than 10 years ago. The second allegedly occurred last spring.
Defense attorney John Arrascada of Reno filed a motion that the second count be dismissed, but a decision was postponed because the assistant District Attorney for Storey County, Laura Grant said she had not received a copy of the petition.
"There was a pretrial writ filed and we never received it," she said. "It wasn't the first time mail didn't get there. We tore that office apart looking for it. We just didn't get it and had no clue that it was filed."
The trial is scheduled for March 31-April 10.