The criminal case against a Chapala woman charged with sexual abuse of children enrolled in a local kindergarten appears to be nearing an end following a short hearing held Monday, March 12 that opened the door for a plea bargain deal.
The defendant in the case is identified as Ana Guadalupe “N” who was employed as a part-time English teacher at the Fray Juan Ruiz de Cabañas y Crespo pre-school in San Nicolás de Ibarra from October 2016 until April of last year. She was relieved of duties after parents of a number of the students beginning airing suspicions that their offspring had been subjected to fondling and filming of simulated sexual acts. Formal criminal complaints were lodged later in the month.
Investigations concluded that at least three youngsters presented physical and psychological symptoms of suffering sexual abuse.
The teacher was arrested on July 17 and incarcerated in the regional prison to be held under protective custody pending judicial process. The school’s female administrator and two male suspects implicated in the case remain at large.
The hearing held this week at the Fifth District Criminal Courthouse, next door to the prison at Hacienda de la Labor, was scheduled for the presentation of evidence by state prosecutors, legal counsel for the victims and defense attorneys. The session was suspended within 20 minutes after all parties agreed to sit down to hash out terms for a plea bargain.
The presiding judge set an April 2 deadline for an agreement to be reached. Otherwise the case will go on the docket to be heard in an open trial.