Crime & Safety
Texas Principal Who Shot Himself On Campus Was Confronted About Extramarital Affair
Dennis Reeves, 45, resigned on the spot after being confronted about affair then shot himself in his truck about an hour later.
BEAUMONT, TX — The Texas high school principal who killed himself last week on campus after resigning had been confronted by administrators about an alleged affair with his secretary just before taking his life, according to media reports.
According to the school district's superintendent statement made to police, Dennis Reeves, 45, was told an investigation into the extramarital affair would be conducted after the woman told officials it had happened, according to KFDM and other media outlets. The principal at Kirbyville High School, Reeves was married with two sons.
When given the option to resign rather than face an investigation that ultimately could get him fired, Reeves typed up his resignation letter on the spot, the superintendent told police. The superintendent, Tommy Wallis, told police Reeves was visibly shaken as he signed his name to the resignation letter, according to reports.
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Previous story: Texas High School Principal Kills Himself On Campus After Submitting Resignation
The principal returned to the building to return some tools from the school's welding shop. As he did so, he softly told assistant superintendent Georgia Sayers, also there to confront him with the allegation "I'm not good. I'm not good," according to her police statement as reported by the news station. "I know, Dennis," she told police she responded.
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Their meeting took place at around 4 p.m. on May 23. An hour later, Reeves was found dead in his pickup truck still parked on campus. Reeves used his .380 caliber semiautomatic pistol to end his life, police previously said.
According to an obituary published in the Beaumont Enterprise, Reeves was born in Evadale, Texas, and was a 1989 graduate of Evadale High School. He graduated five years later from Lamar University where he also obtained his master's degree in education in 2008. He served as principal of Kirbyville High School for three years. According to the obituary, Reeves's survivors include his wife and two sons.
>>> Photo of Dennis Reeves via school district website
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