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Caroline football coach Ben Boyd in a photograph taken when he coached at Franklin County High in 2006. JARED SOARES/THE ROANOKE TIMES Visit the Photo Place

COACH IS INDICTED

Caroline High School's new head football coach was indicted in Caroline County Circuit Court Wednesday on charges of forging and uttering a public document

Date published: 7/3/2009

BY PORTSIA SMITH

Some Caroline County School Board members and the school superintendent said they plan to stand behind their embattled head football coach despite his recent felony indictments.

Ben Boyd, 53, was charged Wednesday night with forging a public record and uttering a public record. The offense date for both counts was listed as March 9, 2009. Both are felony charges, and each carries a potential penalty of two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.

Commonwealth Attorney Tony Spencer would not specify what the public document was.

"This case needs to be tried in the court, not in the newspaper," Spencer told The Free Lance-Star yesterday.

Boyd did not return repeated phone calls to his cell phone yesterday.

Superintendent Gregory Killough said he found out about the arrest at 8 a.m. yesterday, when Boyd called explaining what happened.

Killough said Boyd was arrested on school grounds, but he did not know if students were around.

He said there are no plans to take action.

"We, the school system, are standing behind Ben Boyd," Killough said. "As we find out further information we will make appropriate decisions, and we will make sure we keep our athletes and parents of athletes aware of what is happening."

He said he didn't know what public document the charges refer to.

Four of the five School Board members said they question the way the charges were handled.

"At this point, I don't understand why he was arrested," said Wendell Sims. "It appears to be harassment."

Board Chairwoman Margaret Watkins said she is disappointed in Sheriff Tony Lippa.

"He has dogged [Boyd] and made it his personal decision to ruin this man."

Board member Tami Redding said she doesn't think the charges have any basis and expects them to be dismissed.

Lippa, who spoke openly at the last School Board meeting against Boyd's hiring, said he cannot discuss an ongoing criminal investigation.

"This is not about me. The charges were placed by a Caroline County grand jury," Lippa said yesterday evening. "I would like to personally answer their questions, but I am going to wait until the end of the trial. I will always maintain my professionalism."

Boyd's arrest came after a unanimous vote by the School Board last month to reaffirm his appointment. He was hired May 11 to replace Robert Jenkins, who resigned in February.

The action came about a month after several members of a 10-person search committee said they didn't know Boyd had a criminal record when they named him and another candidate as finalists.

Boyd has a 1991 federal misdemeanor conviction for misbranding and illegally dispensing anabolic steroids.

Boyd served as the head coach at Franklin County High School in southwest Virginia for three years before resigning in January.

He worked at Franklin for several years as an assistant coach before his past was revealed to administrators when he became head coach in 2006.

Killough, who made the final recommendation to the board to hire Boyd, worked with Boyd in Franklin as recently as 2005.

Portsia Smith: 540/374-5419
Email: psmith@fredericksburg.com

A public record is any recorded information that documents a transaction or activity by or with any public officer, agency or employee of an agency. The determination of public record does not depend on the physical form or characteristic of the recorded information or on the medium upon which such information is recorded. The recorded information constitutes a public record if it is (1) produced, (2) collected, (3) received, or (4) retained in pursuance of law or in connection with the transaction of public business.

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Date published: 7/3/2009

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