Former Austin pre-school teacher arrested for child sex assault
A former pre-school teacher is arrested for aggravated sexual assault involving a four-year-old child. The girl told her mother the incident happened inside her Southwest Austin school.
Police say in October a woman called to report that her daughter said a teacher at the Nature School of Austin touched her while in a bathroom. She identified that teacher as 51-year-old John Charles Arnold.
That same day, the mother also alerted the Department of Family and Protective Services which oversees child care licensing. A spokesperson says the agency implemented a safety plan to ban Arnold from the premises until the allegations were investigated. He was terminated and the operation was cited for inadequate training for him.
The mother of the child told police that a week prior to her daughter's outcry she went to the school to address another issue. At that time she says Arnold told her he had a feeling that the meeting was about him because he rubbed the child's back and feet during nap time to aid her in going to sleep.
Detectives interviewed Arnold in January. He denied any wrongdoing.
Read Preschool teacher accused of sexual assault
FOX 7 checked the inspection history of the daycare. In the past two years, 10 inspections were conducted. Two of them were unannounced as a result of the sexual assault outcry. Seven deficiencies were found including a lack of required pre-service training for Arnold.
Other issues involve a child left unsupervised, a caregiver lacking a renewal background check and lack of fire and sanitation inspections.
We were unsuccessful in our attempts to speak with anyone at the school. Midday the school's website was taken down. Arnold is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child. We do not show that he has a prior criminal record.