A former elementary school teacher is accused of sexually assaulting one of his students at his school.
Irving Police arrested Victor Hugo Moreno, 28, last Thursday for allegedly sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl.
"Moreno assaulted a seven-year-old female victim during the school year of 2020-2021, while she was a second grader at Townsell Elementary," says Ofc. Robert Reeves, Irving Police spokesman.
Moreno resigned from the Irving ISD at the end of that school year for failing to meet certification requirements.
The allegations didn't come to light, however, until March of this year, when another student told an adult about what was happening.
"The student made the reference that the reason that Moreno was no longer employed by the school district (was) because he did something to an individual," says Ofc. Reeves. "The student did not know that he was let go because he didn't have certification requirements. That adult that the student made the outcry to contacted the Irving Police Department, and that's when we began our investigation."
Moreno taught in the Plano ISD last school year and was fired for a code of conduct violation.
Moreno is charged with continuous sex abuse of a young child and improper relationship between student and educator.
He is now out of jail after posting bonds totalling $15,000 -- an amount that Reeves says was set by Dallas County and is way too low given the charges.
"Seeing someone like this get such a low bond from Dallas County and being able to bond out so easily is disappointing," says Reeves. "Someone who's committing crimes against children is definitely someone who should have a higher bond."
Reeves says investigators have no reason to believe that this was an isolated incident.
"We're asking anybody that knows Moreno, whose children or family members or friends might have been taught by Moreno, to talk to them (and) have those difficult discussions," Reeves says. "If you feel that an offense has occurred when you're talking to your child, or your friend's child or whomever, to contact the Irving Police Department (972-273-1010) if you reside in Irving.
"If you reside in Plano, you'll need to contact the Plano Police Department," Reeves continues, "as jurisdiction requires on where the reports are initially taken."
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