A former member of the Colonial School District Board of Education was sentenced to 22 years in prison for several counts of child sexual abuse.
In November, Ronnie Williams, 44, was found guilty by a jury of second degree-rape, continuous sexual abuse of a child, unlawful sexual contact, sexual abuse of a child by a person of trust and sexual solicitation of a child.
Williams was elected to Colonial’s seven-member school board in May 2018. In the past, he had volunteered with children in other capacities, at Special Olympics Delaware, Thomas McKean High School and various elementary schools to teach third- and fourth-graders.
In 2004, he was charged with sexually assaulting three boys, but was found not guilty, court records show.
Williams was charged with multiple felonies including several counts of sexual abuse in September 2019. Those charges led to last month’s sentencing.
According to court documents, the victims were children of a woman Williams knew.
Police said Williams often befriended women to form relationships with their children, according to court documents. He would buy the children expensive items and take them on trips to get close to them, according to court documents.
THE CASE AGAINST WILLIAMS: Charges against Colonial school board member revealed
The first victim met Williams at age 7, court records show. The victim told police that they and other children would routinely share Williams’ bed.
The victim said that Williams had access to their cellphone account and threatened to expose that they were watching porn if they didn’t participate in “treatment sessions” with him, court documents describe.
The sessions continued until the victim was in 10th grade, court records show.
The victim informed police about the sexual assault after a physical altercation with Williams in July 2018, according to court documents.
Police talked to a second victim in September 2019, who said that they first met Williams when they were 12 and that he gave them everything they wanted and paid for things, court documents describe.
The victim said that Williams frequently performed oral sex on them, in almost-daily sessions, according to court records.
CALLS FOR RESIGNATION: Colonial School District board calls on member to resign following allegations of child sexual abuse
Williams’ arrest in 2019 led to an outcry from board members calling for his resignation.
Under Delaware law, only the governor can remove an elected official from their position, Superintendent Dusty Blakey said in a statement at the time. School districts have no say in the election process, the vetting of candidates who are elected by voters or the consequences of being arrested.
The school district said at the time that it did not believe any of the assaults happened on school property. It is unclear if the victims were Colonial students.
Contact the reporter Yusra Asif at yqureshi@delawareonline.com.
