A Texas middle school teacher is facing charges after surveillance allegedly showed him grabbing a 14-year-old girl’s butt before the two disappeared into a classroom, where they spent the night together.
Sergio Gonzalez was a 54-year-old teacher and coach at A.C. New Middle School in Balch Springs. This past Wednesday, police announced he had been arrested for child grooming, a third-degree felony.
Highlights
- A 54-year-old teacher was arrested for child grooming after spending a night with a 14-year-old girl.
- School footage showed the teacher and girl carrying pillows and blankets, which raised alarms.
- The teacher allegedly sent inappropriate texts to the girl beforeland, leading to the school's employees voicing their concerns.
But Gonzalez had been under scrutiny since August when his improper relationship with the girl first became a subject of concern.
A middle school teacher is facing charges after reportedly spending the night with a 14-year-old girl
Image credits: CBS TEXAS
Gonzalez was initially accused of sending “inappropriate” text messages to the girl after three employees had voiced their worries. The Mesquite Independent School District placed him on administrative leave on August 20 and notified police. He later resigned after working there for 20 years.
This prompted school officials to lead an investigation, where they found shocking footage of an interaction, dated back to July, during summer break.
“There was video footage of the individuals walking down the hallways, carrying pillows and blankets, spending the night at the school,” said Balch Springs police officer Pedro Gonzalez to KDFW-TV.
The arrest affidavit also stated the clip showed the teacher “grabbing the victim’s buttocks and then walking down the hallway while holding hands before entering the classroom.”
Gonzalez and the girl’s interactions did not go unnoticed by fellow students
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Other students said the teacher frequently offered rides to the 14-year-old, gave her gifts, visited her outside school hours, and touched her inappropriately, according to the report.
The girl’s family claimed that while they knew the two would spend time together, they were not aware their relationship had gone this far and trusted Gonzalez to set respectable boundaries.
As the girl was being interviewed by authorities, she was reportedly “downplaying the situation while demonstrating her deep concern for [Gonzalez] and what happens to him.”
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Officer Gonzalez mentioned how her unwillingness to cooperate added to their “lengthy investigation.”
This is an ongoing search, and Balch Springs police say they may file additional charges as more evidence is uncovered.
In recent years, there has been an increase of media attention towards educator sexual misconduct cases
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Statistics show that these occurrences are sadly not isolated incidents.
It is estimated about 10% of US students will experience educator sexual misconduct by the time they graduate high school, according to Psychology Today.
This term encompasses a broad category that focuses on inappropriate sexual actions, including verbal, visual, or physical behavior, with verbal comments being the most prevalent form.
Studies reveal most perpetrators are male (89.1%) and teachers (63.4%).
6.7% of students reported being touched sexually, while 8.7% reported noncontact sexual behaviors, such as suggestive language or being shown inappropriate images.