A former Tacoma middle school principal has been convicted of raping a woman at a party

KOMO Staff:

Harold Wright Jr., 36, of Puyallup will be sentenced on August 31st. He faces six months to one year in jail.

Wright was the principal of Baker Middle School until earlier this year, when he was put on administrative leave pending the outcome of the case. A woman accused him of raping her at an after-hours party on January 31st, 2004. The woman said she and two friends were at a bar where Wright, his brother and two other men invited them to one of their homes. She told investigators at least two of the men took her into a bathroom and took turns having sex work, but it was too dark for her to identify them. She was 19 at the time.

DNA evidence linked Wright and another man, Ritchie D. Carter to the crime. Back in February, Wright and Carter were both charged with one count of second-degree rape. Carter was also convicted on Thursday.

Wright is married with three children. He had worked for the Tacoma School District for seven years, the last five as a principal.

Wright's bail has been set at $10,000.

Tacoma principal quits job after rape conviction, but keeps pay