A former school aide and coach in Maryland has been arrested for sexually assaulting 42 boys.
30-year-old Carlos Bell, who is HIV positive, worked as an instructional assistant at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School and track coach at La Plata High School. He sexually assaulted about 42 boys who are between 11 and 17 years old and the assaults happened from May 2015 to June 2017. He was taken into custody in July for child pornography and sexually assaulting male students.
Police began their investigation in December after a parent found inappropriate text messages on her son’s cell phone. A search of Bell’s home computer turned up child porn, including images of him allegedly having sex with a boy inside a classroom at Benjamin Stoddert, NBC reports. Carlos later told police that he is HIV positive and has been for the past two years. Authorities have not said whether any of the victims contracted the disease.
Investigators said the assaults happened at his home, on school property and possibly other locations. The State's Attorney's Office for Charles County indicted Mr Bell on 206 counts. The indictment covers 28 identified alleged victims and 14 unidentified victims. The indictment includes allegations stemming from incidents on June 30 and July 28 and charges for additional alleged victims police found following an investigation.
Bell no longer works at Benjamin Stoddert or La Plata. Authorities said he was also employed at McDonough High School in Pomfret and J.P. Ryon Elementary in Waldorf.
Charles County Superintendent Kimberly Hill previously said in a statement: "In an organization that is all about our children, these allegations are horrifying. To our parents and our community, who put their faith and trust in us to safeguard their children, I apologize on behalf of Charles County Public Schools."
If convicted, Carlos faces life in prison.
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