Pasco deputies arrest substitute teacher accused of molesting 2 girls at elementary school
(Pasco County Sheriff's Office)
NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - Deputies have arrested a substitute teacher who is accused of molesting two young girls at a New Port Richey elementary school.
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office said 20-year-old Richard Berrios was working as a substitute teacher at James Marlowe Elementary on December 13, 2021, when he came into contact with the two victims, ages 10 and 11.
The girls told investigators the incident happened outside at the Physical Education courts.
The first victim said Berrios came up to her and gave her a "side hug," then got behind her and put one hand on her shoulder. With his other hand, he grabbed her breast and then her behind.
She told deputies that when she pulled away from Berrios, he said, "Come back here, baby girl."
"The victim told me she was scared because the defendant was a teacher and she did not want to be touched," the deputy wrote in the arrest affidavit.
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The second girl said she had seen Berrios touch the first victim, telling deputies that he then walked over to where she was standing.
The second victim said Berrios put his arm around her shoulder and grabbed her breast with his other hand before moving down the front of her clothes and onto her genitals. She said he then moved his hand off the front of her body and grabbed her behind.
Both victims told investigators they did not want to be touched, and said Berrios was "looking at them strange and appeared to be 'eyeing them.'"
One of the girls added that the substitute was looking at all of the girls, especially when they were bending over during P.E.
The sheriff's office said three additional witnesses told them they saw Berrios grabbing both victims. One of those witnesses said Berrios had also tried to give her a hug, but she was able to get away before he could wrap his arms around her.
When deputies interviewed Berrios, he initially said he would have never touched any of the children at the school. He then said he may have bumped into them while walking but did not mean to touch them.
"The defendant then told me that he may have grabbed the victim's butt and breast but it was not in a sexual manner," the deputy wrote in the arrest affidavit. "The defendant then said he was willing to apologize to both victims."
Deputies arrested Berrios on Wednesday for two counts of felony lewd and lascivious molestation.
In a statement, the school said, "We are very disappointed. As soon as the students came forward with the allegations, Mr. Berrios was inactivated as a sub and we reported it to law enforcement. We appreciate the Pasco Sheriff’s Office’s thorough investigation, which resulted in the arrest today, and we applaud the brave students for coming forward. Though we have no indications that there are other victims, we join the Sheriff’s Office in urging parents to come forward if they believe their student may have been victimized by Mr. Berrios."