Affidavit: Hurst teacher molested girls as they stood beside his desk

Angel Sales molested girls at Bellaire Elementary School as they stood beside his desk in the third-grade classroom, according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the Star-Telegram on Wednesday.

Sales, 25, of North Richland Hills denied he molested any of the students, claiming the girls lied because they were mad at him for not letting them watch a movie, according to the affidavit.

Sales was arrested earlier this month at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport as he returned on a flight from El Salvador, and was charged on Tuesday with indecency with a child/fondling. Sales is on administrative leave from the Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district.

The arrest was the fourth involving molestation charges at H-E-B schools.

“We are devastated by the news,” H-E-B superintendent Steven Chapman wrote on Wednesday to parents and community members on the school district website. “I want to assure you we have kept the safety and security of our students and our staff a number one priority.”

Police began an investigation in June after officials with Child Protective Services alerted them that several girls at Bellaire made outcries about inappropriate touching by a teacher.

The six-page affidavit provided these details in the case:

After the outcries and during the summer, police interviewed more than five girls and a boy who had been Sales’ students at Bellaire, which is in Hurst. Most of the 9-year-old girls told detectives in Spanish through a translator that Sales touched their breasts, buttocks and vaginal areas when they were standing at his desk.

The molestations happened in the classroom, and one girl estimated Sales touched her more than 12 times.

But in a July 9 interview with detectives, Sales claimed students were not allowed to come around his desk. He was accompanied to the interview with his attorney, Edwin Youngblood of Fort Worth.

Sales became upset with a detective when the officer declined to tell him exactly how many girls had made outcries.

The North Richland Hills man was placed on administrative leave May 21 after the district was notified of the Child Protective Services investigation, Hurst Assistant Police Chief Richard Winstanley said Tuesday.

A letter was sent to third-grade parents May 22 notifying them of the investigation, district officials said. School officials notified the State Board for Educator Certification on May 26.

Sales was hired Aug. 14, 2014, to teach bilingual classes. He graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington and had no teaching experience when he was hired, according to the district. All appropriate screening processes were in place when Sales was hired, and a statement released by the district says that he “under the nation’s criminal justice system, is innocent until proven guilty.”

School district officials gave Sales notice on August 11 about a mid-year termination. As of Wednesday, the teacher had not requested a hearing related to his firing, said school district spokeswoman Deanne Hullender in a Wednesday email.

In the other cases:

In July, the principal of Viridian Elementary School was placed on administrative leave after he was arrested in Frisco on suspicion of online solicitation of a minor. Oscar Figueroa, 46, faces a federal charge of coercion or enticement of a minor. He resigned soon after his arrest.

That same month, a former math teacher at Hurst Junior High pleaded guilty to having sex with his students last year.

Timothy Flasik, 28, of Missouri City, pleaded guilty in July to three charges of sexual performance of a child and two of sexual assault involving two girls who came to his Bedford apartment.

A pre-sentence investigation report has been ordered on Flasik, who resigned at the end of the 2013-14 school year.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 28 in a Fort Worth courtroom. He faces a maximum of 20 years on each charge, prosecutors said Monday.

In November 2014, Randy Ray Wesson, 29, and Ricardo Javid Lugo, 17, were arrested. Police said Wesson had enrolled Lugo, who pretended to be 12, in Hurst Hills Elementary School to “recruit children for sex.”

Wesson pleaded guilty in February in federal court to two counts related to child pornography.

Lugo was indicted in January on state charges of possession with the intent to promote child pornography and indecency with a child. His trial is pending.

“As much as I would to promise situations like this one will never occur again, I cannot make that promise,” Chapman said referring to the Bellaire case. “However, I can assure you we take our responsibility of screening and hiring all H-E-B ISD employees very seriously.”

In response to questions about how the district plans to ensure the safety of students, administrators sent this statement:

“Questions have been asked related to the district’s screening procedures.

“The district goes beyond the state requirement in screening applicants who are recommended for employment.

“In addition to the statutory background checks run through the FBI database, the district is part of the Region 11 consortium, with JD Palatine, which conducts a county-by-county background search on each individual screened. In addition, references and other sources are checked related to selected applicants.”

Sales remained free on Wednesday after posting $20,000 bail shortly after his arrest.

Staff writer Monica Nagy contributed to this report.

This story was originally published August 19, 2015 at 12:34 PM with the headline "Affidavit: Hurst teacher molested girls as they stood beside his desk."