Fallon custodian Elie Curtis Jr. resigned from Churchill County School District this week hours before the school board was to determine possible disciplinary action after receiving new information that led to a second suspension.
Board counsel Sharla Hales said the board already held a hearing in regards to Curtis after he was arrested for failing to register as a sex offender but voted to continue his employment. Nonetheless, she said the district suspended him again and scheduled another hearing after learning new information. She could not provide details.
"If there wasn't new information, we wouldn't have brought another hearing forward and suspended him," Hales said.
Curtis' attorney, Jeff Blanck of Reno, could not be reached for comment.
Curtis was arrested Sept. 17, 2009 for failing to register as a sex offender relating to a conviction of attempted rape of a 12-year-old girl in 1975. He was working at Northside Early Learning Center as a custodian when a parent brought him to the attention of the school district and the District Attorney's office.
In November 2009, the school board unanimously voted to continue employing Curtis during the night shift after hearing extensive testimony from supporters and non-supporters.
"They (the board) reflected upon the popularity of the employee, and they were in agreement that putting him on the night shift would be a compromise," said Superintendent Carolyn Ross.
Churchill County Deputy District Attorney Craig Mingay said law allowed Curtis to continue working with the district because he is not on lifetime supervision.
The 2009 charges against Curtis were dropped in February after he registered as a sex offender, Mingay said.
