Former Gainesville preschool teacher ordered to serve 10 life sentences
A former Gainesville preschool teacher was sentenced in state court Thursday to 10 life sentences on multiple counts of sexual battery of a child under the age of 12.
According to a news release from the Office of the State Attorney for the Eighth Judicial Circuit, Trevor Alec Hruby, 24, of Gainesville, pleaded guilty, and his 10 life sentences will run consecutive with the 120 years behind bars he received in federal court last month.
In July 2022, Hruby was indicted for the crimes after being arrested a year earlier for sexually battering and molesting multiple children around 3 to 6 years old.
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“There is no greater charge than the protection of our children,” said U.S. Attorney Jason R. Coody, who announced the federal sentencing in December. “This sentence is yet another example of the unwavering commitment to the protection of our most vulnerable and should serve as a significant deterrent to those who would attempt to harm them.”
While employed at A Child’s Dream Preschool, located at 4127 NW 34th St. in Gainesville, Hruby sexually victimized and produced sexually explicit images of numerous children in his care between December 2020 and September 2021, an investigation found. Images were also found in his possession upon his arrest.
A 3-year-old girl told an investigator that Hruby sexually battered her with his hand during nap time, according to a police report. Investigators said surveillance video also shows Hruby intentionally moving the girl from her cot to one that is out of the camera’s direct view.
He later was seen sitting next to the girl and moving his left arm over the area of her body. Minutes later, the girl walked to the bathroom and stayed several minutes, the report states.
The girl appeared to avoid Hruby when she came out. She went to her cot and he reportedly kneeled next to it, with most of his body out of the camera’s view, for several minutes before walking away.
Later, while under police questioning, Hruby reportedly admitted to touching the girl. He also admitted to doing the same thing to another 3-year-old at the day care, police said. Surveillance video from Sept. 10, 2021, captured the incident, police said.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Trevor Alec Hruby sentenced to life in Eighth Judicial Circuit
