Former Asst. Principal Cleared Of Charges

More than a year ago, Channel 9 Eyewitness News was outside South Iredell High School in Troutman, where an assistant principal had just been fired. He was accused of performing a sex act in front of a student in his office. Now, after months of investigation, the district attorney's office has dropped all the charges against Lamar Lewis.

Lewis walked Saturday night through his garage in north Charlotte, which he converted to a den over the last 13 months. He called them the darkest months of his life. "It was a lot of sad days," Lewis said. "I wish it wasn't sad, but there was a lot of sad days, and that's why sometimes I can't go in the den."

Investigators charged Lewis almost 400 days ago. But Thursday, prosecutors told our news partner, the Statesville Record and Landmark, they dropped all charges because the 16-year-old girl's accusation and the evidence didn't match up. Lewis was overwhelmed by the news. "In my attorney's office, I just cried," Lewis recounted. "For 15 minutes, while they were trying to talk to me, I just cried."

Lewis came into teaching late. He was making great money in the corporate world, but left when he realized his true calling: "I saw a kid who came to interview with me one day and he couldn't even spell his name correctly. That bothered me."

Lewis was on the fast track for Iredell-Statesville Schools, going from teacher to assistant principal in three years. He'd only been at South Iredell High School as an assistant principal for three weeks when the student made the accusation. Lewis said he didn't even know the student.

Now, Lewis can actually start thinking about turning things around. He says he'll continue working on his doctorate and fixing old computers for children in need. But will he teach again? That's a more difficult question to answer. "My mind says no," Lewis said. "But in my heart of hearts, I have to say yeah. It's needed."