United States

Teacher Pleads Guilty to Sex Abuse of Students

A former substitute teacher accused of inappropriate contact with several students entered a guilty plea Wednesday.

Prosecutors asked the judge to impose a five year prison sentence as a part of Jose Pineda's plea deal. If the deal is accepted, Pineda, who is not a U.S. citizen, could face deportation back to Honduras.

Three 12-year-old girls came forward last year to say that they were touched multiple times by Pineda. One said she requested to go to the bathroom to get away from Pineda. The other said she assumed the first time was an accident until it continued to happen.

Pineda also is accused of touching a 12-year-old girl at Forest Oak Middle School in 2004, police said. The victim told police she reported the sexual assault to her mother and that the principal was notified. A school district spokesperson said the principal has retired and it's unknown if he reported the allegations to police.

The girls were in either sixth or seventh grade at the time of the alleged sex offenses.

Several other middle school students came forward, but police said the acts did not rise to the level of a criminal offense.

Pineda worked as a Montgomery County Public Schools bus driver from 2000 to 2003, as a substitute teacher from 2003 to 2006 and again as a substitute teacher from March 2013 to September 2014.

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