A former Mesquite ISD middle school coach and teacher was arrested on Wednesday and charged with felony child grooming, but he could face additional upgraded charges, according to police.
Sergio Gonzalez, 54, was arrested at his home in Balch Springs following an investigation into allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old student at A.C. New Middle School.
In August, three school employees expressed concerns to district officials about a potentially inappropriate relationship between Gonzalez and the student. The school district began investigating the allegations and subsequently placed Gonzalez on administrative leave on August 20. He then resigned from his position at the middle school, where he had been employed since 2004.
The district’s findings were turned over to the Balch Springs Police Department, which began its own investigation.
According to Balch Springs Police Officer Pedro Gonzalez, video surveillance showed that both the student and the teacher were spending the night at the school over the summer.
“There was video footage of the individuals walking down the hallways, carrying pillows and blankets, spending the night at the school,” Pedro Gonzalez said, per Fox 4 KDFW.
A video from July shows the “subject grabbing the victim’s buttocks and then walking down the hallway while holding hands before entering the classroom,” the affidavit states.
The teen victim was reportedly uncooperative in assisting in the investigation, “downplaying the situation while demonstrating her deep concern for [Sergio Gonzalez] and what happens to him,” according to the affidavit. Police say this behavior is not uncommon in child grooming cases.
However, other children who knew the victim told police that that teacher would give the victim rides in his vehicle, visit her outside of school hours, buy her gifts, and touch her inappropriately, Fox 4 reported.
In addition, investigators found inappropriate social media communication between the teacher and the student, in which Gonzalez used terms such as “baby,” “love,” and “miss you.” He instructed her to delete some of his messages and told her not to let her parents know they were communicating, according to the affidavit.
Sergio Gonzalez is currently being held in the Dallas County Jail.