School Janitor Charged With Raping Girl, 15 -- He Allegedly Met Teen At Hazen High

KENT - The 15-year-old Hazen High School student was in the office making copies when a man she thought was a guest at the school came in, slipped her his phone number and asked that she call him.

Several weeks later she did.

Yesterday, third-degree child-rape charges were filed in King County Superior Court against Billy Clyde Kirby Jr., 35, a Renton School District custodian.

According to the charging documents, when the girl first called Kirby she told him she was 15, and he replied that he wanted her to be "his girl."

At the end of February 1997, Kirby asked the girl to his house, picked her up at a park near her Renton home and drove her to his home in South Seattle, where he allegedly had sex with her, according to the court documents.

The documents allege that Kirby had sex with the girl again in June and August 1997. The girl later became pregnant with his child.

The girl miscarried in September and stopped associating with Kirby. But in November she found out he was a custodian and began to run into him at school and felt intimidated by him.

Several weeks ago, the girl called Kirby and told him to leave her alone, but before she hung up, her 12-year-old sister picked up the phone and asked Kirby how old he was.

According to the charging documents, Kirby allegedly told the 12-year-old he was 14. He later allegedly said he was 21 and that he hoped to be her first sexual partner.

The 12-year-old told friends at school that an older man wanted to have sex with her. Her friends told the school counselor, who called the police.

Kirby, who also has been charged with communication with a minor for immoral purposes, denies the 15-year-old was ever in his house or car.

The Renton School District has placed Kirby on a paid leave of absence until it concludes its own investigation.

Kirby, who worked at Hazen High School and most recently at Dimmitt and Nelsen middle schools, passed a background check when he was hired by the district in 1995.

Superintendent Dolores Gibbon said she was aware of a traffic offense that was not considered reason to deny him employment. But she did not know of four citations for missing court dates, occurrences that may have come after his district background check. Renton police found the citations during the investigation.

According to the charging documents, Kirby had also been suspended briefly in November after the school district received an anonymous call alleging he had sexual contact with another student. But the alleged victim in that case refused to disclose any information.