At an August 13 hearing, the Albemarle Circuit Court ruled that Michael Swiney must remain in custody without bail. Swiney, a former social emotional learning coach for Albemarle County Public Schools, faces 11 felony counts, including multiple charges of aggravated sexual battery and indecent liberties.
More details about the allegations against Swiney emerged during the hearing, with prosecutors saying the former SEL coach sexually abused four girls under the age of 13 between August 2024 and January 2026.
Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Lawton Tufts also called the “trustworthiness” of ACPS into question, and referred to the district’s handling of Title IX reports against Swiney. ACPS responded to Tufts’ statement in an August 17 letter to Commonwealth’s Attorney James Hingeley, rebutting the claims.
Swiney’s attorney, Christopher Leibig, called for the defendant to be released to home confinement on $50,000 bond. Under the terms proposed by the defense, Swiney would be barred from any contact with children other than his own, who are 10 and 3 years old.
Judge Cheryl Higgins denied the request for bail and ordered Swiney be held without bond at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail. His next court appearance is set for September 18 at 9:30am.
Money moves
At its August 17 meeting, Charlottesville City Council passed a resolution pledging $3 million to the Salvation Army’s Center of Hope Capital Campaign. The measure was the largest in a series of appropriations made at the session, with other big-ticket items passed as part of the consent agenda. Highlights include an additional $204,017 for the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, and a $2 million allocation from the Charlottesville City Schools contingency fund for the FY27 school year
