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Jan 14, 2009 9:29 pm US/Central
Jailed Teens Allege Tutor Sexually Assaulted Them
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Disturbing allegations are surfacing about a North Texas teacher accused of using threats to solicit sex from teenagers.
The alleged victims are in the Dallas County jail, awaiting trial for murder and aggravated assault. The two teenagers, males ages 15 and 16, were supposed to be tutored by DISD teacher Luis Delossanto.
Instead they say they were forced into sex acts by someone the sheriff's department and the school district trusted.
"This man was a predator who basically had unfettered access," said Attorney Bill Wirskye.
The 36-year-old teacher is out on bond, facing one sexual assault charge and possibly many more.
Wirskye turned Delossantos in to authorities after he uncovered the sex abuse allegations. He says it happened on the second floor of the jail, where single cells house high-profile inmates and juveniles charged as adults.
Wirskye says the two teens told him that Delossantos lured them into a restroom while on tutoring visits.
According to the alleged victim's statement, Delossantos told one of them, "If you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours,' meaning he'll give favors if I give favors. When we were inside the bathroom, he got on his knees and pulled down my pants. Then we heard the keys rattling, I'm not sure but it sounded like guards were opening a door nearby. He then got up and looked scared - like he was going to get caught."
Wirskye says the teenagers complied only because the teacher threatened to "mess up" their cases.
"Having had a background in law enforcement, you could tell immediately that this was something that had happened and all the corroboration was there," said Wirskye. "These two kids were literally scared to death this was going to affect there case,"
Delossantos has been with DISD since 2004 and teaches students who are physically unable to attended school. Authorities say it is possible he was also tutoring students who were confined to hospitals or their homes.
Delossantos is now on administrative leave. He could not be reached for comment.
The teacher is not the only target of accusations.
"I think DISD dropped the ball by sending this personal over without a better background, and I think the sheriff's department dropped the ball by allowing this teacher to have private access to these kids and all this to go on."
The sheriff's department says Delossantos passed a background check and had the same contact with students in the jail as he would have had in the classroom.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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