Whittier Elementary School Principal Alex Coberly has been charged with one count of indecent exposure in a criminal misdemeanor complaint by the Seattle City Attorney's Office last week.

The criminal complaint filed in the Municipal Court of the City of Seattle on December 22, 2006 states that on or about November 5, 2006, Alexander Stanley Coberly committed the offense.

Coberly, 33 years old, has been on paid administrative leave indefinitely since December 7 and his future with the school district has yet to be determined.

"We typically wait until the conclusion of the case to make a decision based on the outcome," said Seattle School District Spokesperson Patti Spence.

Coberly has been with the Seattle School District since 1998. He has been principal at Whittier five years.

According to a Seattle Police report released to the media with other court documents by the Seattle City Attorney's office, two women were in a car near North 100th Street and Aurora Avenue North at 1328 hours on November 5 when a car to their right slowed down to get next to them.

The driver was observed smiling and exposing himself. The passenger observed the offensive act, the driver only saw the suspect's face. The passenger called 911 on her cell phone and the driver got the license plate number of the car. They described the suspect as a White male, 35-40 years old, balding with dark-brown square frame glasses.

The police officer who investigated the case requested Coberly's Washington State Department of Licensing photograph taken in 2002. He also Googled Coberly's name and found a school district "Leadership for Learning" picture of him. During this internet search the officer learned the suspect was a principal at Whittier Elementary.

When the passenger of the vehicle was shown a photomontage on December 6, she told police she was 90 percent sure one of the pictures resembled the suspect, but was not the suspect. The driver did not recognize the suspect among the group of photos.

According to court documents, on December 6, Coberly admitted exposing himself after being informed the conversation was being tape recorded. He also said over the last 5-6 years he has exposed himself on several occasions, the last time was a couple of years ago.

Coberly told the investigating officer that after the November 2006 incident, he became alarmed and sought counseling. He said he told his wife and the counseling was helping him.

The officer wrote in the report that Coberly said he was not sexually attracted to children. He told police he has always exposed himself to adult women who were strangers.

When the officer told a second sergeant about the confession, the officer was advised to screen the situation with the Seattle Public Schools Legal Advisor Leo Poort. Poort advised the office to notify the Seattle Public Schools Legal Office.

Coberly's attorney, David Vogel called the police officer assigned to the case and asked if the Seattle School District would be notified and said his client was worried about losing his job.

Vogel also expressed concern about Coberly not being arrested at work. The officer told him Coberly would not be arrested.

Vogel told the News-Tribune his client has handled the matter in a very responsible manner and the problem has never affected his job.

"He wants to keep his job. He is well regarded and liked. He has done a good job for five years," said Vogel.

However, Vogel said this is a tragedy for Coberly.

"The allegations in the police report indicate something that is a problem. It's a sad situation. You have a person who is a nice man and a good educator who is in a very difficult situation right now," Vogel said.

Coberly pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. Vogel said 99.6 percent of the people appearing at an arraignment plead not guilty. The time to truly plead guilty or not guilty comes later in the legal process.

Coberly faces a possible 90 days in jail and a $1,000 maximum fine. He is married with two children.

One Whittier parent said she was disgusted by the news. A teacher at Franklin High School who attended Coberly's wedding, was saddened by the news, but defended Coberly as being a brilliant principal. Both did not want their names published.

School District Academic Chief officer Carla Santorno informed parents about the situation in a letter dated January 4.

In her letter, Santorno suggested parents use discretion in talking to their children about the matter until they have more information. She stated the alleged incident occurred outside of school hours and did not involve any minors.

Julie Briedenbach has been appointed interim principal. Santorno said she is confident Briedenbach's skills and experience would allow her to provide support to the Whittier community during this time.