Former SEV choir director pleads not guilty to sexual exploitation charge.

The former choir director for the Southeast Valley High School in Gowrie pleaded not guilty to the charge of sexual exploitation by a school employee.  30 year old Brandon Edward Louis entered his not guilty plea on Tuesday, waiving a preliminary hearing and formal arraignment. A jury trial has not yet been scheduled. Louis served as the choir director at Southeast Valley until October 20,2020. He resigned on October 16, 2020 after allegations of inappropriate and sexual text messages sent by Louis to several female students came to light. The Southeast Valley school board accepted the resignation at its meeting in October of last year. After a year long investigation came to a head last month on November 21 when Gowrie Police Chief Patrick Monaghan announced that Louis had been arrested. If convicted, Louis faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $7,500. He would also be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years.