Alaska State Troopers last week arrested a Homer man who is accused of sexually assaulting an elderly woman multiple times.
Charles Rininger, 38, faces seven felony charges including attempted first-degree sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault and first-degree burglary.
Rininger is a teacher at Homer Middle School and also works at the K-12 school in Ninilchik, according to the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District's staff directory. The district said Monday he’s been placed on administrative leave while the district investigates the allegations.
Homer Middle School's principal, Meghan Redmond, emphasized in a Tuesday letter to parents that the case against Rininger does not involve students.
"Our priority is ensuring a smooth transition for students, and we are actively working on a plan to provide coverage for all classes for the remainder of the school year," Redmond said. "Additionally, we want to assure you that support is available—if your child needs someone to talk to, our staff is here to help."
Rininger is incarcerated and does not have an attorney, according to the state’s online court record database.
According to district hiring records, Rininger started working for the district in 2018 as a long-term substitute teacher at Kenai Middle School. He also worked at McNeil Canyon Elementary School for five years, including as a sixth-grade teacher. Since the start of the 2023 school year, Rininger has worked as a teacher at Homer Middle School, with assignments in physical education and the district’s gifted and talented program.
According to the investigating officer’s charging documents, a 70-year-old woman told Homer police last week being sexually assaulted in her home. She’d been having dinner with a friend when she says Rininger showed up at her house heavily intoxicated. Documents say he began hugging and grinding against her friend, who left after feeling uncomfortable.
The woman told investigators Rininger became aggressive toward her, forcing her against the wall and grabbing her genitals. The officer says Rininger pushed the woman’s face against his chest to the point where she couldn’t breathe, and that she believed he would rape her if she couldn’t stop him. The woman says she was able to distract Rininger and force him out of her home.
The woman also mentioned a separate incident two months ago. She says an intoxicated Rininger entered her unlocked home and climbed into her bed. She says Rininger took off his clothes and attempted to rape her.
The next morning, charging documents say the woman woke up to find Rininger had “trashed” her home, including breaking furniture, her television and closet door. She confronted Rininger who said he’d been drunk.
After last week’s report, law enforcement monitored a phone call between Rininger and the woman, during which he apologized for being drunk and said he didn’t remember what had happened. Charging documents say Rininger expressed shock when the woman described what had happened and apologized for his behavior.
Troopers arrested Rininger while he was driving on the Sterling Highway and took him into custody. Officers say he agreed to talk to them about the allegations, and said he’d drunk seven shooter bottles of whiskey before going to the woman’s house. Rininger said he’d been drinking due to the death of a friend. Rininger was booked at Wildwood Pretrial Facility in Kenai.
State prosecutors say they plan to raise other factors that would make potential punishment more severe. They argue Rininger should have known the woman was “particularly vulnerable or incapable of resistance” due to factors like age or health conditions.
A judge set bail at $100,000, which Rininger hadn’t paid as of 12:30 p.m. Monday. Rininger is next scheduled to appear in court Friday in Kenai.
Rininger’s arrest makes him the third school district employee actively facing sexual misconduct charges.
A former Soldotna High School teacher and teacher’s union president faces more than 50 charges in a case brought by a former student who says he sexually assaulted her. And troopers last year arrested a former Skyview Middle School custodian they say sexually abused a student while he worked at the school.
Resources
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, resources and reporting information is available through South Peninsula Haven House’s 24-hour helpline at 907-235-8943 and through South Peninsula Hospital at 907-235-8101. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233.
On the central Kenai Peninsula, the LeeShore Center offers services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The organization’s 24-hour crisis intervention line is 907-283-7257.
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