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Educator accused in child sex case
CHARGED
Curtis Thomas
Been: He is Midway
High School’s
principal and head
football coach.
By SUSAN HYLTON World Staff Writer
Published: 9/28/2007 2:10 AM
Last Modified: 3/3/2008 2:01 PM
MUSKOGEE -- The family of a rural high school principal and head
football coach paid $150,000 cash to
free him from jail after he was arrested on multiple sex-related charges involving two underage girls.
Midway High School Principal and
coach Curtis Thomas Been, 37, of
Henryetta was released from jail
Wednesday. He is charged with three
counts of lewd molestation, one count
of forcible sodomy, one count of rape
by instrumentation, three counts of
second-degree rape, and one count of
making a lewd or indecent proposal
to a child younger than 16.
All but the indecent proposal
charge involve a girl who was 14
when the alleged molestation began
in August 2006.
The girl told sheriff's investigators
that she had been having an ongoing
sexual relationship with Been, court
records show. She also said she had
been infatuated with Been and had a
"crush" on him.
Investigators obtained a sample of
possible sperm or body fluids from
Been's office, where the girl said
some of the encounters took place.
The school is about 20 miles southwest of Muskogee, in Council Hill,
near the McIntosh County line.
Muskogee County Sheriff's Deputy
Jan Ray said the evidence was sent to
the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation lab.
The indecent proposal charge was
filed in connection with an incident involving a girl younger than 16 who reportedly refused Been's alleged advances.
Chad Richardson, Been's attorney,
said Been's
family came up with the
$150,000 cash to get him out of jail because they are confident that he will
be cleared of the accusations.
If that happens, they will get their
money back.
"They're a tight-knit family," Richardson said.
He said he was shocked that Been
was charged before test results of the
physical evidence came back and that
his client was "destroyed."
Assistant District Attorney Nikki
Baker Dotson said the allegations
have been thoroughly investigated.
"The state would not file charges if
it didn't feel there was sufficient evidence," she said.
"The state feels there is sufficient evidence with or without DNA evidence, and we're
awaiting those results."
Dotson said she is confident
in the information prosecutors have, including statements
from two victims and others
who are willing to testify.
Richardson said Been
caught the girls drinking liquor on the last day of school.
He said that when Been
threatened to suspend them,
they vowed that they would
get back at him.
Dotson said the victims
should not be bad-mouthed in
the media and that the proper
forum for the case is court.
She said she doesn't know
whether the drinking accusations are true.
"Even if a child were to act
out, it doesn't give you any right to molest them," she
said.
Midway Superintendent
Don Ford said Been is on administrative leave with pay.
This is Been's second year
to coach the Class C Midway
Chargers.
Susan Hylton 581-8381
susan.hylton@tulsaworld.com
By SUSAN HYLTON World Staff Writer
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