Passaic pre-school teacher’s aide accused of sexually assaulting child in classroom

by:  Seth Augenstein

nj

A pre-school teacher’s aide has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a child in a classroom, authorities said. Luis A. Martinez-Palencia, 62, of Paterson, was charged with having sexual contact with the boy, who at the time was between the ages of 3 and 5, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes said in a statement.

The boy, who is now 8, reported the alleged incidents to his mother, who contacted authorities, Valdes said. The child was a student in Martinez-Palencia’s pre-school class and the incidents occurred in the classroom at School No. 17, authorities said.

Martinez-Palencia was charged with official misconduct, sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child. Each charge is a second-degree offense which could mean a sentence of a maximum of 10 years in state prison, Valdes said.

The Institutional Abuse Investigations Unit of the state’s Division of Child Protection and Permanency is also investigating the allegations, the prosecutor said.

This article was written by Seth Augenstein and originally published on nj