A former police officer was arrested Wednesday for felony charges relating to an inappropriate relationship he allegedly had with a 14-year-old student of Frisco Independent School District (FISD).
Frisco Police Department issued a news release on June 14 explaining that 34-year-old Kendal Augustus is accused of sexually assaulting a minor while serving as an FISD school resource officer in 2017-2018.
First employed by Frisco PD in July 2015, Augustus was initially placed on administrative leave when allegations of gross misconduct emerged on June 5 of this year.
After both internal and criminal investigations were conducted, second and third-degree felony charges were filed against Augustus, including for sexual assault of a child, indecency with a child, and sexual performance by a child.
“As a member of the Frisco Police Department and a resident of this community, I am appalled by the actions of this former officer,” said Chief David Shilson in the news release. “He violated the trust of our community, the ethical standards of this department, and the values of our noble profession.”
Officers assigned to FISD are tasked not only with maintaining student safety and responding to various types of crises but also with building positive relationships with students, according to the FISD website.
With this in mind, Shilson said in the release that it was unfortunate that “the actions of one individual have sought to undermine the role entrusted” to Frisco PD’s school resource officer unit.
He also pledged Frisco PD’s “complete support and resources for presenting the strongest case for prosecution” to the alleged victim and promised to rebuild trust with the school district and parents.
Augustus is currently detained at the Denton County Jail on a bond of $55,000.
According to Texas Penal Code, being found guilty of a second or third-degree felony carries a minimum of two years in prison. A maximum sentence of 10 years exists in the case of the former and 20 years in that of the latter.
Since the start of the year, there have been several reports of sexual assault in Dallas-Fort Worth area schools.
These allegations have typically surfaced against educators, such as a Lewisville Independent School District elementary school teacher who was arrested on charges of aggravated sexual assault on an alleged victim of 10 years old, as The Dallas Express reported in May.
At Dallas ISD, a high school chemistry teacher and an athletics director were similarly charged for allegedly engaging in improper sexual relationships with students this spring, as covered by The Dallas Express.