A former longtime associate principal at Bainbridge High School has been charged in Kitsap County Superior Court with two counts of first-degree child molestation.

Prosecutors charged Dean Fritts, 74, of Bainbridge Island, on Dec. 20 with the two felony counts in Kitsap County Superior Court.

The charges came after two minors told investigators of a pair of inappropriate touching incidents that were estimated to have taken place in 2015 and 2016, according to court documents.

After one of the incidents was disclosed in January 2017, a Bainbridge Island police detective reached out to Fritts for a statement but was referred to an attorney.

In April 2019, an officer interviewed another minor who alleged inappropriate touching by Fritts, according to court documents. Responding to those allegations, Fritts denied it occurred, documents say.

At an arraignment hearing on Jan. 2, Fritts entered a not guilty plea, according to court records. He was released without bail and ordered to not have any contact with the two minors.

Fritts was a longtime educator on Bainbridge Island. According to his LinkedIn profile, he retired in 2010 after 26 years as an associate high school principal at Bainbridge High School.