A now-former teacher in the Crowley Independent School District is facing multiple felony sex crime charges involving a high school student.
Ricardo Ortiz, 62, was arrested on one charge of sexual assault and four charges of improper relationship between educator and student. All are second-degree felonies punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.
Ortiz was taken into custody by the Fort Worth Police Department on February 5 and booked into the Tarrant County Jail. Total bond is set at $125,000, with $25,000 for each charge.
At the time of his arrest, Ortiz was an architecture teacher at the Bill R. Johnson Career and Technical Education Center, according to Crowley ISD Superintendent Michael McFarland.
The campus serves students in 9th through 12th grade.
McFarland notified Crowley ISD families and staff that Ortiz was no longer employed by the district and said school officials are “fully cooperating” with local law enforcement and child protection authorities.
“We have no information indicating that any other students were involved. However, the safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority,” added McFarland.
A district spokesman confirmed to Texas Scorecard that “all required reports were made promptly and in accordance with law.” He directed further inquiries to the Fort Worth PD, which is continuing to investigate.
Online records show Ortiz had worked for Crowley ISD since 2023.
Crowley ISD is a C-rated district located southwest of Fort Worth.
At least 10 other Crowley ISD teachers have been reported to the Texas Education Agency for sexual misconduct in the past few years; only one was formally investigated by the TEA, resulting in the educator being placed on the Do Not Hire Registry.
Hundreds of school employees statewide have been accused of sex crimes against students and other children, and thousands have been reported to the TEA for sexual misconduct.
