A now-former teacher in the Donna Independent School District was jailed for having “lewd” images of a child after police investigated a report of an unauthorized entry into a residence.
Eddie Lorenzo Garcia was arrested and charged with possession or promotion of lewd visual material depicting a child, a state jail felony, and criminal trespass, a Class B misdemeanor.
Garcia was booked into the Hidalgo County Jail on November 4 and released the next day on bonds totaling $10,000, $5,000 for each charge.
According to a statement released Thursday by the Donna Police Department, its investigation of Garcia began on September 14, after officers responded to a report that two adult males had entered a residence without the homeowner’s consent.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage, conducted interviews, executed search warrants, and examined digital evidence. Donna ISD Police assisted by securing devices and forwarding them to DPD investigators.
Donna Police encouraged parents to discuss online safety with their children and report suspected criminal activity to law enforcement.
School district spokeswoman Nelda Calderon provided a statement to Texas Scorecard, confirming that Garcia had been allowed to resign prior to his arrest.
Donna ISD holds all employees to the highest standards of professional conduct and accountability. Upon learning of the initial allegations involving an employee, the district took immediate administrative action, and the employee resigned prior to the arrest. To protect the integrity of the ongoing law enforcement investigation, the district will not provide additional details at this time.
“The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority,” added Calderon.
The district did not identify the campus where Garcia taught.
Donna ISD, located in the South Texas Rio Grande Valley, has 18 schools and about 850 teachers, who account for just 40 percent of the district’s full-time staff.
Online records show Garcia had worked for Donna ISD since the 2019-20 school year.
Garcia has held a Texas teaching certificate for Business and Finance since 2017. His certification is under review by the Texas Education Agency.
In just the past few years, hundreds of Texas educators have been charged with sex crimes involving students and other children.
The TEA is currently investigating thousands of educator sexual misconduct complaints.
Texas Scorecard maintains a map of known educator sexual misconduct arrests.
