Victory in the courtroom for a former Manatee County High School Principal.
On Tuesday, Judge Peter Dubensky acquitted Robert Gagnon of the charges against him.
"No reasonable person could believe that abuse is taking place,” said Dubensky.
Gagnon, the former Manatee High School Principal, is one of three former administrators accused of not reporting suspicions of child abuse to the state child abuse hotline, which is required by state law.
Former Assistant Principals Gregg Faller and Matthew Kane are also on trial.
The scandal stemmed from questionable behavior between former Assistant Manatee High football coach Rod Frazier and students.
Frazier is accused of touching students and hanging out with them on golf carts, pulling students out of the classroom and other inappropriate behavior.
Teachers and staff reported seeing the interactions. Gagnon said he did talk to Frazier about his behavior, but never took it to another level because at no time, he felt the students were in danger.
He said no one ever told him about any possible relationships or students being in danger.
Gagnon, who has maintained his innocence, said he is relieved by the ruling. He faced one felony count and misdemeanor count of failing to report child abuse. If found guilty, he faced up to five years in prison.
Gagnon said while he is happy to walk away a free man, he is upset about what he learned about the man who caused all of this. He's also upset that Frazier got off so easy.
"I'm in shock," said Gagnon. "I've been protecting children my whole life. I've been in education for 25 years and I'm horrified the state offered a deal with this man. We needed to find out if he did something. He should have been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
In April Frazier, pleaded no contest to four counts of battery and two counts of interfering with a student's attendance.
In exchange for his plea, the State Attorney's office dropped some of the charges. Frazier is now on house arrest and probation.
Gagnon's attorney, Richard Reinhart, said now that Gagnon has been found not guilty of the charges; his next mission is to get his job back.
"That should be a message to the Manatee County School Board," said Reinhart. "We feel the administration hearing against Gagnon is pathetic and it needs to be stopped. Give him back his money and give him back his job. They'll be lucky they don't get sued for everything."
In October, the school board voted to terminate Gagnon. While Gagnon was acquitted in court on Tuesday, Faller and Kane's request, was denied. Both will head back to court on Wednesday morning.
If found guilty, both face up to five years behind bars. There is no jury in this trial and the judge will issue a verdict once everything is over.