The criminal trial of a former area principal that was slatted to begin Tuesday morning has been postponed.

Estimated to last multiple weeks and involve a large number of individuals, the case, which has yet to be rescheduled, is likely to be one of the landmark trials of the decade.

Centered around now 33-year-old Cory Marling, the educator turned administrator shocked the community when he was relieved of his duties and ultimately indicted on 11 counts of gross sexual imposition, all felonies of the third-degree, in late 2019.

Marling, a life-long resident of the area, graduated from John Glenn High School and went on to receive his bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Muskingum University.

Upon graduation, Marling was employed by the public charter school, Par Excellence Academy in Newark, while also serving as a coach for East Muskingum Local Schools.

Then in May of 2014 after applying for a position at Tri-Valley Local Schools, Marling was hired to be a first-grade teacher at Nashport Elementary for the upcoming 2014-2015 school year.

Marling would serve in that position for multiple years before being selected as Assistant Principal at Frazeysburg Elementary, a temporary position created solely for him.

With the retirement of long-time principal Rebecca Norris one year later, Marling’s position would be eliminated and he would become the building’s head principal in the fall of 2018.

Within half-a-year, the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Department would have Marling under criminal investigation and he would be relieved of his position as principal.

Never to return as an administer, Marling would be indicted in October of 2019 for alleged criminal sexual conduct with elementary-aged students.

According to Tri-Valley Superintent Mark Neal, Marling was a well-known member of the community and there was nothing in his background that would have indicated any such potential criminal conduct.

Neal added that Marling had “flawless” evaluations prior to the allegations and that supervisor’s recommendations from his previous places of employment were all positive.

“I can honestly state that I had no reservations about his character prior to these recent allegations,” Neal said when interviewed by Y-City News in November of 2019.

Currently, Marling is out of jail on a $100,000 bond.

As a condition of that bond, Marling must remain in Muskingum County and not have contact with any minors besides his own children.

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