Teacher’s trial on molestation charges starts

Accusations date back to 2007 and involve girls as young as 6 years old

SANTA FE — A former Santa Fe parochial school teacher is facing trial for accusations that he inappropriately touched young female students as far back as 2007.

Aaron Dean Chavez, 50, is charged with three counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor for allegedly touching the girls, who were no older than 8 when they experienced the alleged abuse, while he was a teacher at Santo Niño Regional Catholic School.

Attorneys made opening arguments Tuesday, and testimony from alleged victims and their family members is expected to start today.

Assistant District Attorney Julie Gallardo told the jury that in January 2016, one victim, an 8-year-old third-grader, went to Chavez’s desk while she was in his art class. Chavez “squeezed” the girl’s bottom and moved his hand into her inner thigh, Gallardo said. The girl told her mother about it two days later, causing the mother to call former Principal Theresa Vaisa.

The second girl, then an 6-yearold first-grader, claimed Chavez told her to tuck in her shirt. He then tucked it in himself and made skin-to-skin contact with her private areas, Gallardo said.

The third victim came forward — for a second time — after news reports came out of Chavez’s arrest in early 2016. This girl, now 17, originally came forward while she was a fifth-grader in 2012 after her class was getting a “good touch, bad touch” lecture at Santo Niño, Gallardo said. The girl remembered Chavez touched her inappropriately while bouncing her on his lap when she was in first grade.

State Police were called to investigate in 2012, but concluded at that time the incident was a “he said, she said,” situation, Gallardo said.

Chavez’s attorney, John Samore, said there was no sexual intent with the way he touched any students and told the jury that the victims were going to give details in their upcoming testimony that are different than what they said in 2016 when Chavez was charged. He also didn’t want the jury to have any unfair prejudice against Chavez due to recent sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church.

“This is a difficult time in our country to find people be fair in a case involving the Catholic Church,” Samore said.