Fresno teacher accused of molesting five elementary school students during class

A longtime Fresno elementary school teacher is accused of molesting five students, all 9 years old or younger, the Fresno Police Department confirmed this week.

Aaron Butler, who was teaching at Gibson Elementary until his arrest late last year, has pleaded not guilty to nine felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child in connection with four alleged victims, according to court records and law enforcement statements.

However, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office appears poised to file new charges against Butler in connection with a fifth alleged victim.

Fresno Police Lt. Robert Beckwith told The Bee police detectives believe Butler also allegedly victimized a fifth student. Beckwith said police believe all of the alleged victims were between 7 and 9 years old at the time of the alleged abuse.

Jerry Stanley, Fresno County assistant district attorney, said he couldn’t comment on case specifics but confirmed that prosecutors plan to file an amended complaint at the next hearing related to the number of alleged victims in the case.

Butler, who remains free on bail, is set to appear in court again on July 13.

In a statement to The Bee on Wednesday, Butler’s defense attorney Jeffrey Hammerschmidt said his client denies any wrongdoing.

“Mr. Butler has taught many hundreds of students before and after the alleged wrongful conduct. The allegations are that all of the conduct occurred in a classroom full of students. No student reported any misconduct at or near the time of the alleged events,” Hammerschmidt said. “Mr. Butler has devoted more than 20 years of his life to teaching students, and he denies any wrongdoing whatsoever.”

According to the complaint filed in Fresno County Superior Court, investigators believe all of the alleged illegal sex acts occurred between 2014 and 2017. A time frame for the fifth alleged victim was not available this week.

Butler has been on leave from the district since his arrest in December last year. At the time of Butler’s arrest, FUSD officials said they supported the investigation.

“The recent arrest of a Fresno Unified employee is extremely disturbing and does not reflect the professional expectations we have for the adults in our system,” Fresno Unified said in a statement in December. “In the event these allegations are proven factual, the District will take swift and appropriate action.”

In March, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing suspended Butler’s teaching credential because of alleged “misconduct,” according to online records. Commission officials did not respond to a request for comment.

Butler has worked for Fresno Unified since 1999.

If convicted, Butler would be forced to register as a sex offender.

This story was originally published May 5, 2021 at 9:31 AM.