Having the courage to come forward after experiencing abuse can be difficult for anyone. The situation is often even more difficult for children who have suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a trusted person, such as a teacher or another authority figure. The adult may have told the child that he or she would get in trouble for telling or that what the adult was doing was OK. Fortunately, many brave children do tell their parents or others what has happened, and that courage allows many of those perpetrators to be prosecuted.
It was recently reported that a former New Mexico teacher was ordered to remain in jail as his criminal trial approaches. Details relating to the case include:
- The man was an elementary school teacher.
- He was initially taken into custody in February after allegations of sexual abuse were filed against him.
- He was previously released from custody pending trial but under strict conditions, such as wearing a monitoring device and staying away from children.
- The man was recently arrested again after new charges were issued against him after a fourth victim reported abuse by the teacher.
At least one of the victims was reported as being a second-grade student. The judge involved with the most recent charges indicated that the man was a danger to children and that he used his position as a teacher to create an opportunity to abuse children. As a result, the judge determined that the man would remain in jail.
Keeping abusers away from their victims as well as from opportunities to victimize more children is of the utmost importance. Sexual abuse cases are difficult for the victims and their families to process, and knowing that this abuser will remain behind bars at least for a time may bring some comfort to the families of these New Mexico children. Of course, the children may be required to have additional involvement in the case, and if so, it is wise to have legal counsel who is compassionate and who will protect the interests of the children as well as possible.
