Rivera HS teacher accused of sex with student pleads not guilty, trial date announced

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A trial date has been set for a former Brownsville Independent School District teacher who pleaded not guilty to charges of having an improper relationship with a student.

Julio Ricardo Trujillo was a Criminal Justice System/Principles of Law teacher and Girls Basketball Coach at Rivera Early College High School at the time of the offense.

On Tuesday, Trujillo pleaded not guilty to three counts of improper relationship between educator and student.

As reported by ValleyCentral earlier this year, he is accused of having engaged in sexual relations with a 19-year-old student from Rivera Early College High School.

On May 5, the victim was interviewed at the Cameron County Children Advocacy Center-Monica’s House and told investigators that on April 14, Trujillo asked her to meet him in a classroom. Footage from the campus revealed that at 11:29 a.m. Trujillo was seen standing by the door of the classroom before entering.

The 19-year-old student was seen walking into the classroom a minute later. After, she is seen walking back to her classroom while fixing her blouse. The alleged sexual activity happened between 11:29 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. when Trujillo sent the student a message stating, “It finally happened, I loved it even if we had to rush lol,” the affidavit alleges.

Additionally, the 19-year-old student told authorities that sometime after Easter, Trujillo picked her up and took her to a nearby park to engage in sexual acts in his vehicle on two occasions, the affidavit indicates.

The BISD teacher was fired from the district in May.

Trujillo also had an arraignment hearing on Tuesday and was issued a total bond of $150,000 — $50,000 for every count.

A trial for Trujillo is set for October 27 in the 197th District Court.