A former Hagerstown teacher and coach was acquitted last week of a sexual misconduct with a minor charge.
William T. Drake, 73, was charged in July 2019 with the Level 5 felony count. A conviction would have carried a sentencing range of one to six years.
His trial began Sept. 23 in Wayne County Superior Court 2 with jury selection. The 12-member jury returned the not guilty verdict on the trial’s fifth day.
An investigation began after a 14-year-old Hagerstown High School student accused Drake in February 2019 of inappropriate and unwanted sexual contact, including at the school’s Snowball Dance.
A version of this article appeared in the October 2 2024 print edition of the Western Wayne News.