Elementary school janitor arrested again on child sexual abuse charges in Utah County
UTAH COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — Another victim has come forward in a Utah County child sexual abuse case involving an elementary school janitor during the 2017-2018 school year.
The Santaquin Police Department said it received a report of child sexual abuse last month from the Division of Child and Family Services. The victim, now 14 years old, said the abuse happened when she was 7 or 8 years old at Santaquin Elementary School.
She said the janitor “allegedly confined her to a closet, exposed his genitalia to her,” and forced her to touch him, documents say. “The janitor threatened to hurt her or anyone she loved if she told anyone about what he was doing.”
While the victim could not provide a name, she described the janitor and positively identified him in a lineup. The investigation further confirmed the suspect worked at Santaquin Elementary School when she was in the third grade.
The suspect, Adrian Villar, 65, was arrested and charged in 2018 for allegedly sexually abusing two boys ages 8 and 11 at Sierra Bonita Elementary School the year prior. The sexual abuse allegations were similar to the one recently received by Santaquin police. Investigators say Villar worked as a custodian at Sierra Bonita before moving to Santaquin Elementary School.
Villar, whose trial had been delayed several times since 2020, was on pre-trial release when he was arrested on Monday facing additional charges.
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The new charges include aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony, and lewdness involving a child, a misdemeanor. He still faces two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and one count of lewdness involving a child from the previous case, all of which he has pleaded not guilty. He is currently in custody at the Utah County Jail.
The Nebo School District, which is over both elementary schools, provided the following statement to ABC4:
Adrian Villar is no longer employed by Nebo School District. Our hearts go out to the victim for all they experienced. Nebo School District is committed to providing a safe and supportive learning environment for all students. We believe that every student deserves to feel safe and respected at school. We want to make it clear that inappropriate behavior, including sexual misconduct and harassment by students or staff, is not tolerated. Nebo School District currently has and has had for many years policies and trainings that address student and employee misconduct, including sexual misconduct and harassment, and that we are continually improving and refining our policies and trainings. We remain unwavering in our mission to create a safe and supportive environment for students in our district.
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