CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - There was a preliminary hearing on Tuesday for a Charleston County School District chorus teacher accused of sexual battery with a student.
The accused, Joshua Radecke, was not in court, but his attorney was there asking for the case to be dismissed.
The defense attorney and assistant solicitor had a chance to ask questions of the detective investigating this case.
The detective said the victim is an 18-year-old who was a student at Stall High School.
Radecke is 41 and accused of having sex with her on school property.
The detective said the victim has been reluctant to talk about this alleged relationship.
“ Not very cooperative, but she stated that she and her chorus teacher did have a sexual relationship,” the detective said. “She acted like a young lady in love.”
Investigators are still waiting for the forensics on Radecke's cell phone.
The police say the victim’s father reported concerns to the principal about a sexual relationship between the girl and her chorus teacher, then the principal notified the school resource officer who looped in the North Charleston Police Department.
Radecke’s attorney asked the judge to dismiss the charges because there aren’t any known witnesses or surveillance video proof of the relationship, which allegedly happened at the school in the chorus classroom trailer, police alleged.
Charleston County Magistrate James B. Gosnell Jr. said, “I think the state's going to have to need a little bit more down the road with what happened on that occasion, but at this point in time they have established probably cause, and I'll be binding the charges over.”
The judge did not dismiss the case.
Radecke was released on bond back in November.
CCSD told us at the time he was on administrative leave. The State Department of Education has since summarily suspended his teaching license.
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