New shocking information concerning the Falls Church City math teacher charged with the in-school aggravated sexual battery of two sixth-grade girls at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School.
WUSA9 has learned Jose Estrada was hired by Fall Church despite complaints about him in three past school districts and an investigation for similar allegations in Manassas Park. He was never charged there.
At a bond hearing on Friday, prosecutor Cari Steele said that Estrada had previously taught in three other school districts: Manassas City, Fairfax County and Manassas Park. She said that in each jurisdiction he faced "allegations of bad behavior" and "each time, his contract was not renewed."
"He broke every bit of trust," said the father of one of the victims. "I don't want him on the street ever again. I don't want any innocent child to have to face that," he said.
WUSA9 is not revealing the father's name to protect the identify of the victim.
Steele said Estrada touched the girls' vaginas over their clothes. She says one of the girls was molested during class with a room full of students. She said Estrada made the girl sit in the back row and dimmed the lights to keep others from noticing what he was doing. Steele said the abuse happened almost every class period.
Steel said that Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School principal, Ty Harris, counseled Estrada, and told him that "under no circumstances was he to be alone with children."
"I think if he had to coach him to begin with, there's already a problem. And he shouldn't be working there...I think everybody skipped a step and they just brushed it off to the next person," said the victim's father.
Steele said the other girl was molested after school when she went in for extra help. They were at a computer when Estrada "put his hand on her shoulder, then moved it to her breast...moved closer and put his hand on her vagina," said Steele. She said when the girl tried to run away, Estrada blocked the door, twice.
"Adults who were supposed to be protecting these children didn't. It's just makes me so angry," said Jenni Knittig whose daughter was molested when she was nine by her friend's father Michael Gardner, the husband of a former Falls Church City Mayor.
Knittig says Estrada never should've been hired, given his history.
"What's frightening about this, is there were signs that this was happening and those signs were just ignored," said Knittig.
Prior to Manassas Park, Jose Estrada taught at Poe Middle School and Stone Middle School in 2009 and from 2013 to 2014. He was a teacher in the city of Manassas before that.
Falls Church City Public Schools responded to WUSA9's questions with this statement:
"FCCPS followed its procedures for hiring. These include fingerprinting and background checks with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Virginia State Police, and Child Protective Services, panel interviews, and reference checks. FCCPS personally spoke to Mr. Estrada's immediate past supervisor prior to offering Mr. Estrada employment. That supervisor was asked specifically about Mr. Estrada's interactions with students and staff members. FCCPS received no information indicating that there had been problems or issues in either regard. FCCPS also inquired as to whether Mr. Estrada was someone who would be rehired, and was told yes."
After listening to the prosecutor's allegations, the judge denied Estrada bond indefinitely. Estrada is married and has a nine month old baby. The couple own a home in Clifton.
