Former Peoria High School teacher accused of filming sexual assault

A former high school teacher is accused of sexually assaulting two of his students. Police say there is also evidence of the act.

The suspect had been teaching at Peoria High School for the past 7 years. He resigned his position at the end of the school year.

Investigators say two victims had no idea their teacher had taken videos of them while they were passed out. Girard allegedly showed the videos to two other students who told police.

35 year-old Werner Girard was arrested, the former drama teacher at Peoria High School is accused of getting two students drunk and then videotaping as he sexually assaulted them a few months ago.

“I didn’t want to believe it at first because I knew him all four years of high school, and he seemed like such a good guy,” said Xavier Hernandez.

Hernandez graduated in May and said lots of students trusted Girard because he was easy to talk to. The two victims, one is 15, one is 16, at the time stayed the night at Girard’s house in Avondale.

Police said when the girls passed out he videotaped himself touching the girls.

“After our shows, we would have cast parties, and one of them was at his house, a few of them stayed over but I didn’t,” said Hernandez.

Detectives say Girard denied taking the videos then told investigators he moved the videos from his phones camera to a downloaded app to keep his kids from seeing them. Girard has a wife and three kids.

“I’m very disappointed, and I’m very sad, now it just makes you realize all those years. What else could he have done,” said Hernandez.

“We had our musicals, and plays, and stuff. And we had our dressing rooms, and it makes me think was there equipment in there? Video cameras or anything? What was he capable of that we didn’t know,” he said.

A judge ordered Girard being held without bond. He is no longer an employee of the school as he resigned at the end of the school year before his arrest.

Source: myfoxphoenix