By SERGIO CHAPA
The Brownsville Herald
November 25, 2005 — A Hanna High School teacher was recently indicted on a charge of having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 16-
year-old female student.
Court records obtained by The Brownsville Herald show that a Cameron County grand jury met Tuesday and indicted criminal justice teacher
Steven Ray Brooks, 48, on a charge of having an inappropriate relationship between an educator and student.
Jail records show that Brooks, a former Cameron County Sheriff’s deputy and deputy constable, had not been arrested at press time
Wednesday, but court records show the case had already been assigned to Judge Leonel Alejandro with the 357th state District Court.
Officials with the Brownsville Independent School District, the 357th state District Court from the Cameron County District Attorney’s office could
not be reached for comment Wednesday because of the Thanksgiving Holiday.
But Brownsville police told The Herald in a previous interview that a male Hanna High School teacher is under investigation for having a similarly
inappropriate relationship with a female student between March 2004 and May 2005.
Although the girl has since graduated, she told police she was 16 years old when she developed a “crush” on her teacher.
The girl told investigators that she began to write him love letters and that he responded by engaging in several sexual acts with her, in addition
to having phone sex.
Police told The Herald in a previous interview that the Hanna High School teacher was suspended with pay pending the outcome of the
investigation.
Under state law, having an inappropriate relationship between an educator and student is a second-degree felony punishable by from two to 20
years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
“The reason this law was created and the reason we are prosecuting the case is because teenagers will go through wide ranges of experiences
and emotions,” said Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos earlier in the week. He could not comment on the indictment
because there had not been an arrest. “Adults and educators are there to assist teenagers through the ups and downs and not take advantage
of them.”
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/ts_more.php?id=68209_0_10_0_M
-----------
Guv'mint
Skoolin'
"DUHMAG.COM"
2005
