Deltona teacher arrested after inappropriately touching student, deputies say

DELTONA, Fla. - A Deltona Middle School teacher is accused of touching one of his students inappropriately. 

Julio Padilla, 51, was arrested by the Volusia County Sheriff's office on Nov. 24 after a month-long investigation which started when the Florida Department of Children and Families received a report that Padilla inappropriately touched one of his female students, an arrest affidavit said. 

Padilla was arrested by Volusia County deputies for child abuse, the sheriff's office said in a press release. 

What we know:

On Sept. 16, the girl's mother told officials her daughter asked if she could change her first period class to have a different teacher. The girl reportedly told her mother she raised her hand to ask for help, he put his arm around her shoulders and dragged his hand across her chest. 

The girl reported the incident to the school's principal the next day – who then reported the incident to DCF. 

Padilla was removed from the classroom during the investigation, the sheriff's office said. 

The girl also texted someone about the incident. The text conversation – which was later emailed to a detective – said Padilla rubbed her back shoulder and (redacted) the girl's chest, the affidavit said. 

The girl believes other students may have witnessed the incident, an arrest affidavit said. In an investigation, one student said she did not know about the situation, but later said after speaking with someone, she remembered it. 

A written statement by an alleged witness said she saw Padilla touching the girl's back and arm "rubbing it in a sort of way and I saw that is unusual for a teacher to do," the affidavit said. The witness did not say anything about Padilla touching the girl's chest. 

No other victims have been identified at this time, the sheriff's office said. 

The other side:

Padilla is placed on administrative leave. A detective spoke with someone from Professional Standards who said when Padilla was informed about the allegations, he indicated he thought it was about using profanity in the classroom. Padilla was not informed of the allegations by school officials, the detective said. 

When detectives interviewed Padilla on Oct. 2, Padilla denied ever patting any students, denied touching the girl and denied helping a student with her test. Padilla, a math teacher, said math tests are taken electronically. 

What's next:

Padilla was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail on Nov. 24 and remained there Tuesday afternoon, with a bond of $5,000.