Teacher Accused of Fondling Girls
By David Ovalle, The Miami Herald
Jun. 14–A Miami-Dade substitute teacher has been arrested after being accused of fondling two 10-year-old girls at Dante B. Fascell Elementary School, police said.
Guillermo Triana-Prieto, 44, was released from a Miami-Dade jail Friday after posting bond.
School police charged him with two counts of lewd and lascivious assault on a minor.
According to police, Triana-Prieto was helping the two fourth graders on May 23 with their math work at the school, 15625 SW 80th St. While the textbooks were propped on their laps, he began touching them inappropriately over their clothes, police said.
The same day, the girls reported the allegations to another teacher during an end-of-the-year awards ceremony.
Triana-Prieto of Miami has been a substitute teacher since 2004, records show. He has no prior criminal record in Florida.
He was immediately relieved of his job. The girls were interviewed by a specialized investigator from the Kristi House, a wing of the Miami-Dade state attorney’s office that specializes in child sexual assaults.
Accompanied by his attorney, Triana-Prieto surrendered to Miami-Dade school police Thursday.
“The family is very distraught but glad the police department has finally taken action,” said attorney Judas Cordero, who is representing the families along with Lonnie Richardson. “We’re hopeful that proper checks were conducted prior to him being hired as a substitute teacher.”
“There is nothing more important than the safety and well-being of our students,” said Miami-Dade Schools police Cmdr. Charles Hurley. “We take these cases very seriously, and we always conduct an extensive investigation.”
Neither Triana-Prieto nor his attorney could be reached for comment Friday. His arraignment is set for July 3 in front of Circuit Judge Bertila Soto.
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