Milwaukee Public School principal acquitted of witness intimidation

Lawyer says accuser sent Carthen texts demanding money

A Milwaukee Public Schools principal was found not guilty of witness intimidation but remains on unpaid leave from the district.

Valencia Carthen, 42, will remain on leave, pending the results of an internal review, according to MPS spokesman Andy Nelson.

Carthen had served as principal of Washington High School of Information Technology until the felony intimidation charge was filed against her in February.

She had been accused of working with her then-boyfriend, Jason Cunningham, to intimidate a woman who said Cunningham had sexually assaulted her, according to a criminal complaint.

During her trial this week, Carthen took the stand and explained she had come into contact with the victim several times while picking up mail from Cunningham’s home, which she had retrieved with his permission, her attorney, Susan Roth, said in an interview Thursday.

Carthen said she never dissuaded the victim from reporting anything, Roth said.

The victim also sent Carthen text messages demanding money to leave town and threatening to go to a TV news station with the allegations if Carthen did not pay her, Roth said.

Carthen took a screenshot of the messages but did not respond, Roth said.

“From the first time I met her, I felt she had done nothing wrong,” Roth said of her client.

Carthen was acquitted on Wednesday.

Cunningham, 39, also was charged with witness intimidation, in addition to his earlier charges of two counts of second-degree sexual assault, strangulation and battery.

A jury found him not guilty of the sexual assaults and intimidation but did convict him of felony strangulation and misdemeanor battery. He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 4.