North Texas teacher accused of ‘grooming’ teenage girl during sleepover – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Disturbing allegations have been leveled against a middle school coach accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a Balch Springs student.

Balch Springs police say “disturbing” surveillance video at AC New Middle School in Mesquite ISD shows just how far this inappropriate relationship has gone.

Sergio Gonzalez, 54, is in the Dallas County Jail on $60,000 bond for child support and tampering with evidence.

Texas passed a child grooming law in September 2023 that targets child predators.

The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office can only confirm that this is not the first case of its kind in the county.

The charges stem from an internal investigation conducted by school officials in August, during which video footage from throughout the summer was discovered and reported to police.

This article also provides expert knowledge and tips for parents on “baby care.”

In this case, Mesquite ISD provided NBC 5 with a timeline explaining the actions administrators took.

On Aug. 16, district social workers raised concerns about Gonzalez’s relationship with the student that were outside the scope of his professional role, but the concerns did not include allegations of criminal behavior, according to a district spokeswoman.

Four days later, the district placed Gonzalez on administrative leave after finding “district policy violations,” which also did not involve any reports of criminal behavior, according to Mesquite ISD.

School district officials told police that Gonzalez agreed to talk and advised that he was simply “helping” the girl and her family.

The district reportedly contacted police and Child Protective Services (which is required) on August 22 due to conflicting statements and suspicions of criminal activity.

A review of security camera footage from August 23 revealed the alleged incident that occurred in July.

“The suspect and the victim were walking down a hallway inside the school during the summer, holding hands and touching her buttocks. They come with pillows, blankets and an air mattress,” said Officer Pedro Gonzalez of the Balch Srings police. “The video also shows that they are wearing different clothes when they leave the classroom the next day.”

The affidavit says the girl told her parents she was staying overnight at Gonzalez’s house and instead stayed with him at school.

Officer Gonzalez says that when a music teacher was on campus and saw them together, Gonzalez allegedly identified the victim as his daughter.

“Oh, that’s my daughter,” Officer Gonzalez said. “So there were no red flags among teachers.”

The young witness later told police that Gonzalez often provided transportation and that the victim had known the bus since she was a “water girl.”

The arrest affidavit says the teen also spent the night at his home and “was with him almost every day, including weekends.”

The affidavit says detectives discovered they had communicated over the phone and on social media apps, including messages in which Gonzalez instructed the girl to delete the communications.

The statement says the conversations lasted from a few minutes to 3.5 hours.

A witness told police that Gonzalez bought the victim gifts and gave her a necklace that belonged to his deceased mother.

The teenager reportedly “felt comfortable with the suspect because she didn’t like the home situation.”

According to the document, when the police questioned the girl, she downplayed the situation, expressing deep concern about what might happen to her.

“The victim was uncooperative, so it’s very difficult for the investigator to piece everything together,” Officer Gonzalez said.

NBC 5 asked Tarrant County Children’s Alliance to provide general information and insight into ‘baby care’.

“It usually starts with gaining the trust of the adults responsible for the child,” said Katia Gonzalez of Alliance for Children. “It’s usually a very charismatic, trustworthy person, and then they really gain that child’s trust.”

It may be a relative, someone who is trusted, respected and liked in the community, she added.

Although the organization that provides support for victims of child abuse is not affiliated with this case, Gonzalez says it is not unusual for victims to want to protect their abuser, who is often someone they know and trust, such as a family member or educator.

“It’s an inappropriate relationship, but for this child, this is someone who loves them, who cares about them, who spends a lot of time with them and pays attention to them,” she said.

Gonzalez says that, in general, child criminals tend to gradually push beyond physical boundaries, isolating victims and gaining trust.

“It can start with small things, like playing a tickle game or sitting your baby on your lap,” she said. “It could be buying them gifts. This may mean spending a lot of time alone with them, especially if they don’t have adults who give them a lot of attention.

He adds that physical interactions between the perpetrator and the victim may be perceived as innocent fun for parents.

“It’s very easy to dismiss them as, ‘Oh, they’re just really touchy-feely or they just really care about my child,’” Gonzalez said. “If we can really recognize these warning signs and boundary violations for what they are, regardless of who the person is, it can really prevent a lot of the sexual abuse that happens, because in many cases, sexual abuse doesn’t happen to people. I watch it, but you can observe the dynamics of care.

The affidavit says police found a photo of Gonzalez’s hand on the girl’s thigh in Gonzalez’s vehicle.

Witnesses also reported seeing the two holding hands.

Children who are nurtured and instilled with a sense of secrecy sometimes refrain from reporting abuse for fear of getting into trouble for accepting gifts or admitting that they are alone with the perpetrator.

“Like, ‘we have a friendship, we have a relationship, no one understands, we have to keep it a secret,'” Gonzalez said.

When asked if parents could consider it a “red flag” if their child communicates through social media platforms, she replied “yes.”

“Most organizations have policies prohibiting parents or anyone in a position of authority over a child from interacting with the child in any way on social media,” she said. “If there are times when interactions are needed, such as a public profile or sports, if texting is necessary, there are many apps available where parents can watch.”

Gonzalez urges parents to seek out available resources.

“That way they can get the justice they need, but they can also access services to be able to heal from any trauma that may have happened,” she said.

Although Balch Springs police do not believe there are more victims, they have seized Gonzalez’s electronic devices and will be closely examining his “digital footprint.”

Police are urging parents of AC New Middle School students to talk to their children about any contact they may have had with Gonzalez.