Delaware gym teacher accused of sending sexually explicit text messages to 8th grader
A gym teacher has been arrested for allegedly sending sexually explicit text messages and social media messages to an eighth-grade student at George Read Middle School in New Castle, the Delaware attorney general said in a news release Monday.
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings said 39-year-old Ricardo Vila is facing 17 felony charges, including sexual solicitation of a child, promoting sexual solicitation of a child, obscenity, enticement for purposes of sexual conduct, sexual abuse of a child by a person in a position of trust and a dangerous crime against a child.
Vila is a physical education teacher at the middle school.
"Parents deserve to trust that their children are safe at school, full stop," Jennings said in a statement. "Any case with a child victim is heinous; cases where the abuser held a position of trust are beyond the pale. Child predators are our priority. We will find them, we will charge them without compromise, and we will bring them to justice."
Jennings said the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, led by the Delaware Department of Justice and state police, spearheaded the investigation.
In a statement, Col. William Crotty, the superintendent of Delaware State Police, claimed that the Colonial School District brought the case to the attention of law enforcement.
This case highlights the crucial collaboration between our detectives and the Delaware Department of Justice in holding offenders accountable," Crotty said. "We will continue to work diligently alongside our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to ensure that those who exploit children face justice."
The attorney general said investigators are unaware of any additional victims but are asking anyone with further information to contact Detective Kevin Kelleher at 302-365-8436.
