Former Crowley teacher arrested on charges of improper relationship with student
A former Crowley Independent School District teacher has been arrested on suspicion of an improper relationship with a student, according to Fort Worth police records and the school district.
Ricardo Ortiz, an architecture teacher at the Bill R. Johnson Career and Technical Education Center, was booked into the Fort Worth City Jail on Thursday. Police declined to release more information due to the sensitive nature of the case.
School district officials said in a letter to families that the 62-year-old Ortiz was “arrested in connection with alleged criminal conduct involving a high school student.”
“When the District first became aware of the allegation, the District took immediate action and fully cooperated with outside agencies including local law enforcement and child protection authorities. All required reports were made promptly and in accordance with law,” the letter states.
It’s not clear when the alleged incident occurred. Ortiz was removed from contact with students pending the investigation’s outcome, and is now no longer employed by the district, according to the letter.
Ortiz was being held in the Tarrant County Jail on Friday with bond set at $125,000. Jail records show he faces four counts of improper relationship between an educator and a student, and one charge of sexual assault.
Staff writer Lillie Davidson contributed to this report.
