Asst. principal facing felony charge

Horizon Community Middle School. Photo by Heather L. Smith

AURORA | An assistant principal at Horizon Community Middle School is facing a felony charge amid allegations he asked three students to erase cell phone video of a fight between two girls.

The charges have exposed a rift between law enforcement agencies that investigated the case, and Cherry Creek Public School District, where a spokeswoman said district officials found no wrongdoing by the administrator.

Anthony Ray Campos, 41, was charged Feb. 11 with solicitation to commit tampering with physical evidence, a Class 6 felony that could carry an 18-month prison term.

Arapahoe County District Attorney Carol Chambers said the case is part of an ongoing problem investigators have with the district reporting crime and turning over evidence.

“This is an issue that we have talked to Cherry Creek Schools about before, both the Aurora Police Department and us. And I think it’s an ongoing issue,” Chambers said Wednesday.

Tustin Amole, a spokeswoman for Cherry Creek schools, said the district has schools in five different law enforcement districts and works with police regularly.

“We interact with them on a daily basis and cooperate,” said Superintendent Mary Chesley.

“The Aurora Police Department and the Cherry Creek School District have an exceptional relationship and partnership,” said Aurora police Chief Dan Oates.

According to court documents, Campos is accused of encouraging three girls to destroy evidence last month.

Because the case involves juveniles, police, prosecutors and school district officials have declined to discuss many details about the case, but a mother of one of the girls involved said it all started with a fight at the school last month.

The three girls recorded the fight on their cell phones and were later suspended for three days for the recordings and for egging on the skirmish, the mother said.

The mother said one of the two girls in the fight suffered a broken nose.

Aurora police Sgt. Cassidee Carlson, a spokeswoman for the department, said one girl was charged with felony assault in juvenile court.

A few days after the fight, Campos asked that the videos be deleted, the mother said.

The mother said Campos didn’t force the girls to destroy the video. In fact, she said, the video had not been erased. The mother said she thought Campos handled the case well and appeared to have the girl’s best interest at heart.

Amole said Campos’ request wasn’t aimed at destroying evidence, but stopping the video from being widely shared.

“The concern was that they might end up on YouTube or somewhere inappropriate,” Amole said.

The school district looked into Campos’ actions and found no wrongdoing, Amole said. The district was “shocked” that Campos was charged with a crime, she said.

Amole also said police have never interviewed Campos about the case. Chambers, however, said police did interview him.

Campos, who has been with Cherry Creek Schools since 1997 and assistant principal at Horizon since 2009, did not return an e-mail this week seeking comment. It wasn’t clear from court records if he had a lawyer.