CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A Bishop Consolidated Independent School District teacher who resigned mid-January after allegations of an improper relationship with a student has been arrested, Bishop Police Department officials said.
Andrea Peña, 28, is charged with having an improper relationship with a student, indecency with a child, sexual assault of a child, online solicitation of a minor and tampering with evidence-- all felony charges.
She is in the Nueces County Jail on a $210,000 bond, Bishop PD officials said.
It was Jan. 20 when school administrators called the police about reports they received about the alleged relationship between Peña and a student. BPD's Criminal Investigations Division opened an investigation into Peña with the help of the Texas Rangers on Jan. 23. Peña was placed on leave but resigned soon after.
During the investigation, police interviewed Peña and the victim, who will not be identified due to being a minor. Police were also able to get search warrants for cell phones and social media accounts, which led them to have enough evidence to charge Peña with the five felonies.
Peña was arrested on Friday, Feb. 3 at her home in Corpus Christi, BPD officials said.
Bishop CISD Superintendent Christina Gutierrez previously told 3NEWS that the accusations caught the district by surprise.
"I think that anytime there is a red flag that it should always be reported," she said. "Unfortunately, in this case, we didn't have any reports and quite honestly, the report came in was not even anyone from the staff itself. It was someone from the outside that came in and made a report and alleged inappropriate behavior, so it wasn't even our own staff or our own students made the initial report."
18-year-old Bishop CISD student Madalynn Soliz said the investigation has been the talk of the school.
"People were saying they knew about it since last year, and that it's been going on, and that a lot of people knew, but no one reported it and I was kind of surprised at something like this would happen," she said.
A full list of Peña's charges:
- P.C. 21.12 Improper Relationship Between Educator / Student (3rd Degree Felony),
- P.C 21.11 Indecency with a Child (2nd degree Felony),
- P.C. 22.011 Sexual Assault of a Child (2nd degree Felony),
- P.C. 33.021 Online Solicitation of a Minor (3rd Degree Felony) and
- P.C. 37.09 Tampering with Evidence (3rd degree Felony)
BPD officials said they will continue to investigate and more charges may be filed.