A Texas middle school teacher of 20 years is behind bars after police discovered he allegedly groomed a teen student with whom he spent a night inside the school.
Sergio Gonzalez, 54, joined A.C. New Middle School in Balch Springs, Texas, in 2004 as a coach and teacher.
In August, his colleagues alerted the administration to a potential illicit affair between Gonzalez and a 14-year-old student. He was then placed on leave on Aug. 20 and resigned during the ongoing investigation, according to Fox 4 News.
The investigation uncovered a video from July that allegedly showed Gonzalez "grabbing the victim's buttocks and then walking down the hallway while holding hands before entering the classroom," an affidavit obtained by Fox 4 News revealed.
Law enforcement also learned the two spent a night alone inside the school.
"There was video footage of the individuals walking down the hallways, carrying pillows and blankets, spending the night at the school," Balch Springs Police Officer Pedro Gonzalez told Fox 4. "Both the teacher and the student were spending the night at the school."
The teen's family knew she was close to her teacher but did not understand the depth of their relationship.
When the girl was questioned about Gonzalez, she was "downplaying the situation while demonstrating her deep concern for [Gonzalez] and what happens to him," Pedro revealed.
Since the victim is unwilling to assist law enforcement, a commonality among grooming cases, the investigation was delayed.
Gonzalez was arrested at his home on Wednesday and charged with felony child grooming.
Originally published by Latin Times
