Ex-teacher guilty on 1 count of sexual contact
Former Catholic school art instructor convicted in touching of student, 6; jury deadlocks on other two charges
A Santa Fe County jury convicted former art teacher Aaron Dean Chavez of one of three counts of criminal sexual contact stemming from accusations by former students at Santo Niño Regional Catholic School that he inappropriately touched them during class. After seven days of trial over two weeks and more than eight hours of deliberations, the four female and eight male Ellington jurors on told Monday District morning Judge T. they Glenn were deadlocked on two of the counts, District Attorney Marco Serna said. Chavez had faced two charges of sexual criminal contact of the clothed parts of a minor under the age of 13, a third-degree felony, in relation to accusations that he touched the buttocks of two students, and one count of criminal sexual contact a minor, unclothed, a second-degree felony punishable by up to nine years in prison. with while class He of a in was she the 6-year-old 2016 was convicted crimes, he in tucked Chavez’ girl unclothed of who her the first-grade testified more shirt contact in serious to that her and underwear, buttocks under touching her clothes. her genitals Chavez, 50, was taken into custody immediately following his conviction. Serna said the split vote on the counts on which the jurors deadlocked was weighted in favor of conviction — 7 to 5 in favor of guilt on one of the counts and 9 to 3 on the other. The district attorney said he plans to retry Chavez on both those counts. Chavez took the stand in his own defense and denied inappropriately touching his students. He admitted to tucking in the shirt of the girl he was convicted of molesting, and to having initially lied about doing so because it was against school policy, but said the action was done quickly and was “not sexual.” Chavez is scheduled to be sentenced next month.