North Texas middle school teacher arrested, faces child sexual assault charge
A North Texas middle school teacher has been arrested and charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, officials said.
David Goggins, 32, was arrested Tuesday by the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, according to court records. Goggins is a teacher at Pike Middle School in the Northwest Independent School District, school officials said.
Northwest ISD spokesperson Anthony Tosie told the Star-Telegram that Goggins turned himself in to authorities. He was hired by the district for the 2022-23 school year.
Principal Tricia Lutkenhaus said in a letter to Pike Middle School families that Goggins’ alleged conduct occurred before he was employed at the school.
“Northwest ISD had no knowledge of the allegations at the time he was hired or while he was actively teaching in the district,” Lutkenhaus said in the letter, which was shared with the Star-Telegram. “According to information shared with us, the matter does not involve a current or former Northwest ISD student, and police are not seeking additional victims.”
District officials immediately placed Goggins on administrative leave when they learned of the allegations, Lutkenhaus said. Goggins is also forbidden from accessing any of the district’s campuses.
Goggins was employed by the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District in the 2021-22 school year, when the assault allegedly happened, according to district officials.
Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD police led the investigation into the accusations against Goggins and obtained a warrant for his arrest, according to a letter to Marine Creek Middle School families that was shared with the Star-Telegram.
The letter states that “no reports of misconduct were received while the person was employed in EMS ISD.” As soon as district officials learned of the allegations, they notified Northwest ISD, where Goggins is currently employed, and Child Protective Services.
Goggins is represented by defense attorneys Christy Jack, Letty Martinez and Audrey Hatcher of the law firm Varghese Summersett.
“David and his family were shocked by his arrest and the accusations against him,” his attorneys said in a statement Thursday. “He has an exemplary record as a teacher and is highly regarded by his students and colleagues, who are equally baffled by these claims. We are conducting our own investigation in the hopes of uncovering the real motivation behind these allegations. We welcome the opportunity to defend David and would ask the public to withhold judgment until we have all the facts.”
This story was originally published March 7, 2024 at 1:25 PM.
