Docs: La Joya teacher arrested after numerous reprimands, kissing student

LA JOYA, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A teacher at La Joya High School was arrested after allegedly making inappropriate contact with a student, police documents show.

Marco Antonio Deleon, 31, is charged with one count of indecent assault, according to Hidalgo County Jail records.

_{Marco Antonio Deleon (Hidalgo County Jail)}

A probable cause affidavit obtained by ValleyCentral stated a La Joya Independent School District police officer met with the high school's principal on Dec. 15, 2023. The principal told the officer he was going to contact Deleon, and advise him to leave the campus due to an investigation.

On Jan. 4, a school police investigator was told by the principal that campus administrators repeatedly caught Deleon "harboring students inside his classroom" when they were suppose to be in another class.

The principal told investigators they issued Deleon several written reprimands addressing the same problem, and he failed to comply with them. The issue involved Deleon allowing students to remain in his class when they should be in another one, the document alleges.

That same day, the investigator spoke with Deleon, who denied the accusations of him having a romantic relationship with a student.

On Jan. 8, Deleon was placed on administrative leave pending a further investigation.

Two days later, the investigator spoke with four other students at the high school. They described incidents where Deleon made them "feel weird and uncomfortable," by touching their hands and getting "too involved with them," the affidavit alleges.

One of the students told school police Deleon and another student had a romantic relationship. They said they had a video on their cell phone where Deleon could be heard in the background speaking to the student, the document alleged.

"Mr. [Deleon] is clearly heard saying 'I love you. I don't want to lose you,'" the affidavit stated.

One of the students recalled a day when they walked into Deleon's classroom and noticed the lights were off. The student said they saw Deleon kissing another student while they were sitting on his lap.

"The initial report was promptly communicated to campus principal and central office administration as to parents of any students that may have been involved," the district wrote in a statement. "This was also reported to the Texas Education Agency as required by policy on January 10, 2024."

Deleon submitted his resignation from the district on Jan. 26.

He was arrested by La Joya ISD police on Feb. 23 and booked into the Hidalgo County Jail the same day. Deleon's bond was set at $2,500 and he was released from jail a day later, records show.

"The safety and well-being of our students and staff are our foremost priorities," the district wrote in a release on its website. "La Joya ISD takes any alleged misconduct seriously, and we are committed to maintaining transparency and accountability throughout this process."