James Dingle (Provided photo)

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. — A former Northwood School teacher and Lake Placid resident pleaded guilty this past Wednesday to contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a class 4 felony, in Routt County District Court, based on allegations from former students at a school in Hayden, Colorado.

The charges are related to a case that involved allegations from two Hayden students that James Dingle, 65, acted highly inappropriately in the classroom. Dingle, who Essex County lists as co-owning property on Cobble Hill Road in Lake Placid, was a teacher at the private Northwood School from 2007 to 2020, according to the school’s attorney, James Brooks.

In May 2019, the school’s faculty webpage listed Dingle as a teacher in the social sciences department and the wilderness program, having been an independent school teacher and coach for more than 30 years. He taught in prep schools in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Colorado. While at Northwood, he took students on adventure travel excursions to Belize, Costa Rica and the Bahamas, according to the school’s website. The 2019 version of the school’s website was accessed through the nonprofit Internet Archive.

The allegations in Colorado do not mention any connection to his time at Northwood School.

“(Dingle) never did anything wrong while employed at Northwood that I was made aware of as attorney for the school,” Brooks said Tuesday.

The arrest affidavit details multiple incidents of Dingle allegedly walking up behind students and pressing his groin into their backs. One alleged incident involved Dingle rocking back and forth while doing so. This allegedly happened to this student once or twice a week.

According to the affidavit, there was an incident where two students were playing music and dancing when Dingle came up behind one of them and started dancing while pressed directly against them. One of the students yelled, “No, no, no,” and told Dingle not to dance with his groin pressed up against the student’s backside.

Alleged incidents involving Dingle dancing up against students were detailed in the affidavit multiple times.

The arrest record also cites several students describing Dingle as “grabby,” and he was accused of rubbing knees, thighs and smelling hair. Other allegations laid out in the affidavits involve inappropriate touching, and comments about females’ appearances on numerous occasions.

The affidavit describes an instance where Dingle told his classroom “let me show you my opening act” while talking about strip clubs. He then walked up to a pole in the room and started unbuttoning his shirt.

Additionally, a conversation is detailed between detectives and parents in which they described his conduct as “grooming type behavior.”

On a handful of occasions, Dingle was also accused of using an offensive term in front of students that is derogatory of gay men.

According to the 14th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Dingle’s plea agreement includes a stipulation that he must undergo two years of supervised probation as part of a deferred judgment and sentence. He must also undergo a mental health evaluation and follow a recommended treatment plan as a condition of his probation.

The felony charge will be dismissed after two years if Dingle successfully completes the terms. If he violates his probation, the deferred judgment will be revoked, a permanent felony conviction will be entered on his record, and he would face a possible prison sentence.

“One of the most important factors in how we proceed with a case is doing what we can to minimize further trauma and anxiety to victims,” District Attorney Matt Karzen said in a statement. “This resolution avoided the stress of testifying at a jury trial for multiple victims, and it ensures Mr. Dingle is evaluated, treated and under direct supervision for the next two years under circumstances where any failure to comply would result in a lifelong felony conviction and up to six years in the Colorado State Penitentiary.”

Dingle was originally charged in July of 2021 with sexual assault of a child by a person in trust, a third-degree felony.

The conviction of contributing to the delinquency of a minor does not carry with it the status of being placed on the Colorado Sex Offender’s Registry, according to Karzen.

Court documents state that the offenses occurred between January and March 24 of 2021. Dingle left Hayden that spring and accepted a position as a teacher at the Antilles School in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. He was arrested in Florida in July 2021 while traveling back to Colorado. Upon his arrest, his contract was withdrawn by the Antilles School.

This is a continuing story, and more information will be forthcoming.

(Staff from the Adirondack Daily Enterprise and Lake Placid News and contributed to this report.)