FORT WORTH -- A former assistant band director at Paschal High School was sentenced to one year in state jail Friday for taking inappropriate photographs of unknowing students.
George A. Flores, 35, pleaded guilty to five counts of improper photography, a state jail felony, in exchange for the sentence.State District Judge Robb Catalano approved the sentence but told Flores that, based on a pre-sentencing investigation, he thinks the defendant might not realize the gravity of the case."Anytime a teacher uses his position to gain access to children in the way you did is very concerning to the court," Catalano said.He recommended that Flores take advantage of any available counseling in jail and upon his release "to help you not do this again."Flores told the judge that he agreed and that he is "truly sorry.""I want to get better," he said.Flores was arrested in December 2010 after TCU police found him hiding in bushes outside the bedroom window of a 20-year-old student who had been changing clothes.He told officers that he was looking for a friend.He was arrested for improper photography after officers found a photo on his phone that appeared to have been taken at the house that night.Flores was out on bail in the case when a forensic analysis of his phone by Fort Worth police revealed hundreds of inappropriate photos of females, at least seven of whom were later identified as Paschal students.Although the students were clothed, the photographs focused mostly on their buttocks.They appeared to have been taken at school functions without the students' knowledge, police have said.Flores was arrested again and indicted on five counts of improper photography.He had been free on bail before Friday's hearing."Here's a guy in a position of trust where part of his job and credo is to protect our kids," said Martin Purselley, the prosecutor in the case."He used that position to further his agenda in surreptitiously photographing them for his own sexual purposes."In connection with the arrest outside the TCU student's bedroom, Flores pleaded guilty July 31 to the lesser charge of disorderly conduct, a Class C misdemeanor, in exchange for a $500 fine, court records show.Purselley said that case was treated as a "peeping" crime because the picture on Flores' phone was grainy and it wasn't clear what had been photographed.After Friday's hearing, Flores was ordered into custody.Flores was in his third year at Paschal and was also a brass arranger for the Grand Prairie-based Forte Drum and Bugle Corps when he was arrested in 2010.He had previously taught in Harlingen.Harold Johnson, Flores' attorney, declined to comment Friday.Johnson did confirm, however, that Flores, who was immediately suspended by the Fort Worth school district after his first arrest, was later fired and no longer has a teaching certificate.Before Friday's hearing, Flores, dressed in a dark suit, sat with three supporters and occasionally kissed his wife.None of the victims were present during the hearing.Before the hearing ended, Catalano told Flores, "Although the students may not recognize it, this has affected them and probably will affect them for the rest of their lives."Deanna Boyd, 817-390-7655Twitter: @deannaboydHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
