Arlington high school teacher arrested for inappropriate contact with student
Arlington high school teacher arrested for inappropriate contact with student
An employee at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington, Virginia has been arrested for inappropriate contact with a student and tonight, police are asking for your help identifying any additional victims. FOX 5's Julie Donaldson reports.
ARLINGTON, Va. - An employee at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington, Virginia has been arrested for inappropriate contact with a student and tonight, police are asking for your help identifying any additional victims.
Police were able to make the arrest after a criminal investigation, thanks to the victim—a juvenile female student—who had the courage to report him.
Police acknowledge it can be difficult for victims to come forward but believe additional charges could be possible and are conducting a thorough investigation.
Suspect's second offense
What we know:
The claims first surfaced on May 28, when it was alleged that an instructional assistant assigned to the school had been inappropriately contacting a student both online and in person.
On July 1, 31-year-old Rene Alfredo Escobar Jr. of Arlington was arrested and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and stalking.
Perhaps the most disturbing part of this arrest is that this is Escobar’s second offense in five years. He was also arrested for stalking on May 31, 2023 and sentenced to 180 days.
The principal sent out a letter informing parents of the arrest, stating in part that they take all allegations of misconduct seriously, and that Escobar was immediately removed from the school environment.
He has previously worked at Hoffman-Boston Elementary School.
Both the school and police are urging anyone with information that might assist in the investigation to come forward.
"We have a crime tip line through Arlington County Crime Solvers, so you can remain anonymous, but we are also committed to conducting our investigations with a trauma informed response," said Ashley Savage, Arlington County Police Communications Manager.
"We understand that not everybody is always seeking criminal prosecution, so we work closely with victim witness advocates, and so we still want to hear from you. We want to be able to guide you through this process, but it's important that we do, you know, conduct a thorough investigation. So if you do have any additional information, I still encourage you to contact our detectives. They'll work you through that process," she went on to say.
Again, police stress this arrest was possible because of the courage of a young woman who spoke up. They also encourage parents and guardians to have open and honest conversations with juveniles in their household about any concerning behavior or criminal activity — so that investigators can prevent further harm.
What they're saying
Word-for-word:
Here's the letter that was sent home to families whose children attend the school
Dear Washington-Liberty and Hoffman-Boston families,
APS has been informed by the Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) that an Instructional Assistant assigned to Washington-Liberty High School, Rene Alfredo Escobar, has been arrested and charged as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. The employee previously worked at Hoffman-Boston Elementary School.
APS takes all allegations of misconduct seriously. When APS was made aware of concerns about Mr. Escobar, we immediately removed him from the school environment and worked in conjunction with law enforcement during the investigation. The full ACPD release is included below.
While we are limited with the information we can share due to student privacy laws and the ongoing police investigation, we encourage students, families and community members with any information that may assist the investigation to contact the ACPD directly at 703-228-4180.
We want to assure our families, students and staff that student safety is our highest priority. We are deeply grateful to the Washington-Liberty school leadership team, APS Security and our partners in law enforcement for their swift, professional response. As a community, we remain committed to maintaining a culture of safety, trust and accountability.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call.
Sincerely,Timica Shivers
Interim Principal, Washington-Liberty High SchoolHelena Payne Chauvenet
Principal, Hoffman-Boston Elementary School