Victims took stand in day 2 of trial for former Hilton principal

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Two more victims testified against former Northwood Elementary School Principal Kirk Ashton. He is accused of sexually abusing 26 male students over a 17-year period at the Hilton School.

Both students alleged they were touched inappropriately by Ashton while in his office. News10NBC was in the courtroom for the testimony.

After the boys told their parents what happened to them, both police and Bivona Child Advocacy Center were called.

Both boys told the jury how they were allegedly touched, first behind their necks, then in their “private areas” by their former principal. The mother of one of the boys also testified.

She said that at first she didn’t reach out to the police because her son only told her during Christmas Break of 2020 that he touched the boy’s neck. Her son said it made him feel “weird and uncomfortable.”

It wasn’t until rumors started to circulate in spring 2021 about Ashton being investigated for alleged sexual abuse that she reached out to the Bivona Child Advocacy Center.

One Senior Forensic Interviewer for the agency described how she not only interviews one of the victims but was able to get the victim to give more details of the alleged sexual abuse than he was providing his parents.

Also called to the stand was a New York State Police Investigator, who talked about the start of the investigation. He described how there were lots of pictures of just young male students in Ashton’s office. He went on to talk about the steps taken to interview school staff and students.

Attorneys in the case haven’t commented on the trial yet, as the judge placed a gag order preventing them from speaking to the media.