Amarillo Crime Stoppers is seeking a former substitute teacher wanted for sexually assaulting a student.

Lucio Antonio Murillo, 20, was a substitute teacher at Austin Middle School in Amarillo Independent School District from December 2021 until he reportedly resigned in April 2023.

Authorities say Murrillo “engaged in sexual contact” with a male student at Caprock High School on or before February 15.

Murrillo is wanted by the Randall County Sheriff’s Office on charges of sexual assault and improper relationship between educator and student. Both are second-degree felonies punishable by two to 20 years in prison.

The State Board for Educator Certification shows no record of Murrillo having a Texas teacher certificate.

Murrillo was active on his Facebook page as recently as June 14.

On May 30, he posted that substitute teaching at Austin Middle School was “the best job I’ve ever had” and said he was “going to finish college.”

Anyone with information about where to find Murrillo is asked call Amarillo Crime Stoppers at 806-374-4400 or submit an anonymous tip at amapolice.org.

Murrillo isn’t the first “bad apple” in Amarillo ISD.

A public information request filed with the Texas Education Agency earlier this year revealed that misconduct reports had been filed on more than 50 educators in the district going back to 2014. Three were placed on the state’s Do Not Hire Registry.

Two, Quinton Abron and Jeffrey Lee McGunegle, each worked as educational aides for less than a year. The third, longtime science teacher Geoffrey Lowry, was arrested in 2020 for online solicitation of a minor and improper relationship between educator and student. In 2022, Lowry was sentenced to 20 years in prison and his teaching certificate was revoked.

Erin Anderson

Erin Anderson is a Senior Journalist for Texas Scorecard, reporting on state and local issues, events, and government actions that impact people in communities throughout Texas and the DFW Metroplex. A native Texan, Erin grew up in the Houston area and now lives in Collin County.

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