A jury of six women and one man on Friday found ex-Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Ziegler guilty of using his position to retaliate against a teacher for cooperating with a grand jury investigating how the district handled sexual assault.

After a week-long trial and day of deliberations, the jury found that Ziegler wrongfully fired a teacher who had disclosed to Virginia investigators about mishandling of sexual assault in her classroom. Ziegler was charged with using his official position to retaliate against someone for exercising their rights, and with punishing someone for testifying to a jury, both misdemeanors. Sentencing in the trial will occur on January 4, 2024, the judge said.

Prosecutors appointed by Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, said that after they began investigating the school district’s coverup of a bathroom rape, they spoke with teacher Erin Brooks, who disclosed an unrelated instance of mishandling of sexual assault by school administrators. Brooks was then fired by Ziegler for cooperating with the special grand jury.

[Ziegler has another trial coming up on charges related to another part of the cover-up. Let’s hope the judge makes an example of Ziegler and forces him to do some time in jail, although it probably would’t be for long. — Ed]