Trial of Former Kenton High School Teacher Could Be in Hands of Jury By End of Day

The trial of former Kenton High school teacher Dustin Clapsaddle could be in the hands of the jury by the end of the day.

On the witness stand Wednesday was the victim, who on cross examination admitted that the date the alleged assault occurred was January 18, 2019, which is listed in the indictment.

The victim told the defense attorney yesterday that the date was close to her 17th birthday but knows that it occurred after a basketball game where she was a cheerleader. She also remembered that the defendant attended the game, which he rarely did.

On re-direct, the victim stated that the reason she can’t remember the exact date is that she has spent the last five years trying to forget. She says it was a significant day that had a huge impact on her life, but that it wasn’t a day she wanted to remember.

On the witness stand also on Wednesday afternoon was her best friend in high school. One of things she testified to was seeing a Snapchat message sent to the victim purportedly from Clapsaddle. She said it was a picture of Clapsaddle looking in a bathroom mirror wrapped only in a towel. That was received sometime after the alleged incident.

The witness also stated that the victim ended up at her house after being at the defendant’s house that evening. She stated that the victim was upset and was crying and told her that she had sex with Clapsaddle.

She said the victim used the word sex to describe the incident which would seem to contradict the victim’s testimony in which she said she never called it sex.

On re-direct, the defense attorney asked the witness, if the victim testified that she never told anyone it was sex, would that be lie? Her answer was she didn’t know how she described it, but that’s what they had- sex.

The victim’s best friend and cousin was also on the stand Wednesday afternoon.

She testified that the victim had a very difficult life growing up, which would have made her very vulnerable in her Junior year of High school.

The cousin stated she is not sure when she learned about the alleged assault, but when she did, she offered her some advice and options on what she should do, but she was reluctant to come forward.

The state is expected to rest its case today. It is not known how many witnesses that the defense team plans to call to stand. It is possible they could call the defendant to testify in his own defense.

Clapsaddle was indicted in August of 2023 on charges of rape, sexual battery, gross sexual imposition, and kidnapping.