Teacher Allegedly Assaulted 4th, 5th Grade Girls
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (CBS4) - A former elementary school teacher accused of sexually assaulting five different girls is under arrest after a lengthy investigation by the Adams County Sheriff's office.
Gilbert Joseph Trujillo, 65, is facing 11 counts of sex assault. He was a fourth and fifth grade teacher at Dupont Elementary School in Commerce City but no longer works there.
"These charges allege the crimes happened from 2005 to 2010," said Adams County District Attorney Dave Young.
Authorities said the crimes took place over a six year period and the victims were 9 and 10-year-olds who attended the school. The allegations include kissing, fondling and inappropriate touching.
"The top charge being sexual assault on a child, a child under the age of 15 in a position of trust," said Young.
According to the arrest affidavit, one parent told police that Trujillo would keep her daughter inside at recess every day and expose himself and touch her daughter while attending Dupont in 2010. The woman also told investigators that her daughter brought home new books and candy from school but didn't ask where the items came from and didn't know why she had received them.
The girl told police that she told some of her friends what was happening and when Trujillo confronted her, told her if she said anything else, "something will happen."
At the end of the school year the girl and her family moved away. She told police that Trujillo tried to add her as a friend on Facebook but she declined.
Trujillo was arrested on Monday. The charges he faces include sexual assault on a child and sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.
The sheriff's office investigation started in November 2013, three years after the last apparent crime. Authorities allege that the crimes started in August 2005 and continued through May 2011.
According to the arrest affidavit, there were several instances of young girls who were students in Trujillo's classroom who recounted that he gave gifts and candy to his "favorite" students and that they had stayed in the classroom or after school to help Trujillo. One student told investigators that Trujillo would sometimes touch the students on the shoulders, arms or legs and would sometimes have students sit on his lap.
Other students told police that Trujillo gave them gifts ranging from snacks to pencils, books, a father-daughter necklace, keychains, tennis shoes with wheels, and other items.
"The nature of these types of crimes, kids don't know, that they may necessarily be a victim of a crime at the time," said Young.
Trujillo is due in court Thursday for a court hearing. He was being held on a $20,000 bond.
In a booking photo released of Trujillo he has fresh cuts and scratches on his face and neck. There's no word so far on how he sustained the injuries.
District Statement From Adams 14 Superintendent Pat Sánchez
In Adams 14, our students' safety is our top priority, and we are fully cooperating with law enforcement and the District Attorney's Office for Adams and Broomfield Counties. Mr. Trujillo was employed by Adams 14 from November 11, 1998, through November 10, 2011. We know that the DA's Office is in the best position to address anything regarding its investigation. Anyone with any information about this investigation is encouraged to contact Detective Shauna Treasure of the Adams County Sheriff's Office, 720-322-1257.
