A former Saugus High School principal accused of perjury and conflict of interest pleaded not guilty in court on Wednesday to both charges.
Bill Bolde, 65, who was at the helm of Saugus for over a decade before retiring from the William S. Hart Union High School District in 2017, was arrested in December after investigators alleged he had, while principal, perjured himself and had a conflict of interest while he established a student exchange program in China.
“Bolde helped set up a student exchange program with a high school in Gaoxin, China, as well as creating a nonprofit organization to administer the program,” read a statement from the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office at the time of the arrest. “He is charged with having a conflict of interest because he was still principal at Saugus High School while he had an employment agreement with the nonprofit. Bolde also is charged with lying on disclosure forms.”
Bolde is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 28 for an early disposition hearing. During an early disposition hearing, the criminal defense attorneys will discuss the case and negotiate the consequences and decide whether they should just settle the case or proceed to trial.
Bolde’s attorney, David D. Diamond, has said in previous stories interviews that his client was never interviewed by law enforcement before being charged, although he was willing to speak with them.
“This is all connected to a frivolous lawsuit filed by others in an attempt to cover up their own wrongdoing,” said Diamond. “My client has served the Santa Clarita community with distinction, and he would never do anything to discredit his integrity, his family or his relationship with God.”
