CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A U.S. magistrate judge set a Jan. 19 trial date Monday for former Kanawha County school counselor Todd Roatsey.
Roatsey, 42, of Elkview, appeared before federal Magistrate Judge Dwane Tinsley for arraignment after being indicted recently on additional criminal charges in connect with child pornography.
Roatsey pleaded not guilty and Tinsley set the trial date. The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge John Copenhaver.
Four of the nine counts allege he enticed two underaged girls “to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct.” It’s alleged he put the depictions on the internet.
Federal prosecutors allege the activity occurred in January and February of 2020.
The other five criminal counts say Roatsey knowingly received, possessed and distributed child pornography.
Roatsey was first arrested in early November. He was suspended by Kanawha County Schools. He resigned his position at Pinch Elementary School on Nov. 15.
Roatsey, who once was chosen for a top award in the area of school counseling, remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. He’s being held in the South Central Regional Jail.