Update 11/23/22: Ashton was sentenced to 63 years in prison on November 23.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A jury on Monday found former Hilton elementary principal Kirk Ashton guilty on 46 of 50 charges after he was accused of sexually abusing more than two dozen students. However, state corrections regulation limits the maximum sentence to 20 years for the level of felonies with Ashton's sexual abuse convictions.

The jury began deliberating on Thursday. Members asked for re-reads of testimony on Friday, but failed to reach a verdict before the weekend. 

Court documents show Ashton, 52, was accused of abusing 26 students inside Northwood Elementary School between 2014 and 2021. He's also facing several civil actions.

Ashton was arrested in April 2021 and resigned months later. He had been the principal at Northwood for 17 years.

More than 20 victims testified at the trial.

“It was the most challenging case that I have ever been a part of in my 17 years," Assistant District Attorney Sara Vanstrydonck said.

“So we started three weeks ago, a long three weeks ago, with one of the smallest in stature victims, but the most courageous of all of them," Vanstrydonck said. "[They were] the one that told his mom, was heard, was listened and was believed finally after 17 years of this man, being the ruler at the school and having his way with as many children as he so chose to.”

Ashton was found guilty of 11 counts of first-degree sexual abuse, 17 counts of course of sexual conduct against a child and 18 counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

He was found not guilty on two counts of course of sexual conduct against a child and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

Ashton’s attorney plans to look into the reason behind the discrepancies in the verdicts as he plans his appeal.

“There are numerous grounds for appeal," defense attorney Jason Housel said.

Housel was asked what some of those grounds would be.

"Well, I'll just name one," Housel said. "This was dealing with two indictments that were consolidated into one trial. And there was a severe prejudicial effect towards Mr. Ashton of having to face the volume of complaints that came in here. And it should have been two separate trials.”

Prosecutors hope the verdict brings the community of Hilton some comfort.

“I think the comfort they can take is that finally, finally has come to a conclusion and they can finally start to move forward,” Vanstrydonck said. “The boys can move forward knowing that they were heard and believed. The families can start trying to figure out how they get their boys back to where they were before, if possible, and the community needs to say we can do better than this. And if we see something, we're going to say something. I mean, how many times you say it, I've had a lot of these cases. I've had a lot of times where I've said, ‘Yeah, this could have been stopped.’ You know, a lot of times on physical abuse cases, but here it is this sexual abuse case. There was a lot of people that saw red flags. And that's a problem.”

“Kirk Ashton was trusted by parents to keep their children safe, instead, he violated them,” Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley said in a statement. “As adults, especially educators, it is our responsibility to protect children and put their interests first. Kirk Ashton targeted those who needed extra support and instead of providing a safe environment, he groomed these children. These victims showed incredible resiliency that we hope will benefit them in their continued journey of recovery.”

Hilton Central School District Superintendent Casey Kosiorek released a statement after the verdict, thanking law enforcement, and highlighting the district’s efforts to keep students safe:

“The Hilton Central School District is grateful for today's verdict and humbled by the courage and commitment of all who were victimized, including present and former students and their families. We thank the District Attorney's office, New York State Police, and counselors at Bivona Child Advocacy Center for their sensitive and determined hard work to bring the facts to light in the pursuit of justice.

Our Road to Recovery continues. Our entire professional staff remains focused on measures that will strengthen our policies and practices for observing, reporting and investigating concerns, with the common goal of keeping our children safe. We encourage the community's continued feedback and involvement in our initiatives. To learn more about the Hilton Central School District's Road to Recovery Sexual Abuse Prevention Action Plan, visit: Hilton.k12.ny.us/RoadtoRecovery.”

Once Ashton entered the court for the verdict proceeding, he was cuffed and remanded into custody. He will be sentenced on November 23, 2022 in front of New York State Supreme Court Justice Renzi, the Monroe County District Attorney's Office announced.