Hillcrest High Teacher Accused Of Sexual Contact With Student Had 'History Of Inappropriate Behavior'

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated with a statement from the Tuscaloosa County School System received by Patch Monday evening following a request for comment.

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tuscaloosa Patch has confirmed additional details in the case of a Hillcrest High School teacher charged last week with having felony sexual contact with a student.

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Patch reported on Thursday, Dec. 19, that Moundville resident Tyler Miguel Armistad, 31, was jailed on charges of first-degree sexual abuse and school employee having sexual contact with a student.

According to a deposition obtained by Patch on Monday, Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit investigators made contact with a Hillcrest High student on Dec. 17 — the day of the incident — and were told that she was first called into a classroom by Armistad.

The court documents say Armistad had "a history of inappropriate behavior" toward the victim, which included direct messaging her on Instagram and inappropriate physical contact while at school.

The victim at Hillcrest told investigators that when she entered the room on Dec. 17, Armistad was on the phone, but he began initiating more inappropriate physical contact before a male student walked in.

At this point, the victim said the teacher and coach passed her a note telling her to go to the bathroom, which she did, before Armistad told her "you're good" after a few moments.

The victim then allegedly returned to the classroom after the male student had left, at which point she said Armistad locked the door and approached her from behind.

She told investigators that he pinned her against furniture and continued his sexual advances and inappropriate physical contact.

The victim said she tried to push him away but Armistad refused to stop and became more physically aggressive.

As part of the investigation following the incident, the victim provided video that she had recorded that was taken from her pocket and only contained audio.

The deposition said the audio corroborates the victim's statement, which prompted investigators to subpoena the Tuscaloosa County School System to provide security camera footage from outside of the classroom.

Investigators found that the footage corroborated the victim's statement involving the timeline of events. The male student present at the time of the incident was also interviewed and confirmed he had been in the room with the victim and Armistad.

The male student told police that when the victim left the room, Armistad told him that he had to exit the room because Armistad was about to leave.

Investigators also attempted to interview Armistad but he refused to meet with them.

Armistad was booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail on the two felony charges and released after his consolidated bond was set at $40,000.

While he was presently employed at Hillcrest High School at the time of the incident, multiple sources told Patch in the immediate aftermath that he was also previously employed at Northridge High School by Tuscaloosa City Schools.

Tuscaloosa Patch has confirmed that Armistad's time at Northridge High as a teacher and assistant football coach came to an end after he was forced to either resign or be terminated in the wake of accusations made by a student.

Following his departure from Northridge, he was hired as a teacher and assistant football coach at Hillcrest in the county school system.

"Tyler Armistad was employed by the Tuscaloosa City Schools as a science teacher and assistant football coach at Northridge High School," Tuscaloosa City Schools said in a statement to Patch on Monday. "In February, an anonymous complaint was made through the school system’s 'Let’s Talk' app which necessitated an investigation. Mr. Armistad elected to resign as an employee of the Tuscaloosa City School System the following day."

TCS said the investigative findings were immediately forwarded to the Tuscaloosa County Department of Human Resources and the Alabama State Department of Education.

"No allegations of inappropriate physical contact between Mr. Armistad and any student were made to the Tuscaloosa City Schools," the statement said.

Tuscaloosa County School System Superintendent Daniel Bray said in a statement to Patch on Monday that when Armistad was hired by the Tuscaloosa County School System, he had a clear background check through the Alabama State Department of Education.

"Beyond that, his teacher certification was not flagged to indicate any prior issues or infractions," he said. "Our hiring process requires applicants to provide recommendations from professional references, which Mr. Armistad did. When we received allegations that Mr. Armistad made inappropriate physical contact with a student, TCSS placed Mr. Armistad on administrative leave immediately. TCSS also made a report to the Alabama State Department of Education, indicating that Mr. Armistad was under investigation for misconduct."

Bray then said the county school system will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as the case moves forward.

"We expect our employees to conduct themselves professionally and with honor," Bray said. "The safety and well-being of our students is our greatest priority."

Captain Jack Kennedy, commander of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, also said if any other students or persons believe that they may have also been a victim of Armistad, they are encouraged to contact the Violent Crimes Unit at (205) 464-8690.

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