By Shereen Siewert
WAUSAU — A former Wausau East High School employee accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old student on school grounds is now facing additional charges, after new allegations surfaced involving a second teen.
Kurtis Hornby of Wausau appeared Friday in Marathon County Circuit Court, where he faces charges of child enticement and sexual assault of a student by school staff. Hornby, 46, was director of the tech crew at Wausau East during the 2016-2017 school year and in the summer of 2017. He is no longer employed at the district.
According to court documents, police have been in contact with a former foreign exchange student who attended East during Hornby’s tenure there. The student, whose name is being withheld to protect her identity as an alleged victim, told police Hornby picked her up one evening from the home where she was staying and took her to Marathon Park. There, he allegedly unbuttoned her shirt and fondled her breasts, police said.
In a separate case filed in January, Hornby was charged with second degree sexual assault of a child after a student told police Hornby reached beneath her shirt, groped her breasts and put his hand under the waistband of her pants. The student told police Hornby assaulted her on several occasions in the school auditorium.
An investigation into the allegations began Sept. 1. Hornby was placed on administrative leave Sept. 6 and fired Sept. 15, according to school officials.
No booking photo is available, as Hornby was summoned into court in both cases and was not booked into the jail, according to the Marathon County Sheriff’s Department.
After his initial appearance Friday, Hornby was released on a $5,000 signature bond and ordered to have no contact with anyone younger than 18 except for children of his own. Future court dates not yet been set.
