Waynesboro teacher now faces 54 charges

Posted on by Vaseline

STAUNTON — A Waynesboro teacher who was arrested in April on a single felony charge after being accused of sexually abusing a young girl was hit with an avalanche of 54 charges by an Augusta County grand jury last week.

In April, the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office arrested Joseph E. Trust, 38, on charges of aggravated sexual assault.

The sheriff’s office said it was investigating the initial allegation of sexual abuse with Shenandoah Valley Child Protective Services. The girl is under 13, authorities said.

The aggravated sexual assault charge was dropped, but last week an Augusta County grand jury indicted Trust on 54 felony counts.

Trust now faces two counts of forcible sodomy, two counts of taking indecent liberties with a child, one count of object sexual penetration and 49 counts of child pornography. The child pornography charges stemmed from photos allegedly found on Trust’s phone, the sheriff’s office said.

In April, Waynesboro Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Ryan Barber said Trust was hired to teach at Waynesboro High School in January 2020. Trust was listed on the school’s website as a Spanish teacher, but was placed on paid administrative leave at the time.

He remains in the Middle River Regional Jail in Verona, where he is being held without bail.

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