A custodian in the Gainesville Independent School District was jailed for alleged sexual contact with a 13-year-old female student.
Hervey Nava, 62, was arrested and charged with indecency with a child by sexual contact, a second-degree felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.
Nava was a custodian at Gainesville Junior High.
According to an October 19 statement from the Gainesville Police Department, officers responded on October 8 to a report of an incident at the school and met with the student and her mother.
The girl told officers that Nava hugged and inappropriately touched her while they were in a classroom. She left the room and immediately reported the incident to a school employee.
Gainesville ISD stated that the student alleged Nava “made inappropriate physical contact with her” and “made her feel very uncomfortable.”
The district placed Nava on administrative leave and later fired him following his arrest.
Nava was arrested on October 16 and booked into the Cooke County Jail.
“Gainesville ISD takes the safety and well-being of its students seriously and remains committed to maintaining a safe learning environment for all students,” stated the district.
Gainesville Police Chief Kevin Phillips said the investigation is ongoing and asked anyone with information to contact the department at 940-668-7777.
Online records show Nava had worked for Gainesville ISD since the 2023-24 school year.
Nava is listed in the state’s Do Not Hire Registry as “under investigation.”
Hundreds of Texas school employees, including custodians, have been accused of sex crimes involving students and other children.
College Station elementary school custodian Gerardo Antonio Gonzalez was recently charged with two counts of possession with intent to promote child pornography and continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14, after sharing self-produced child sexual abuse material via Snapchat.
In March, Gilmer Intermediate School custodian Shamon Natavion Patton was arrested for invasive visual recording in a boys’ bathroom on campus, and United ISD custodian Luis Escamilla was charged with improper relationship between educator and a student.
In 2025, Allen ISD contract custodian Jason Giuliani was arrested for online solicitation of a minor; Little Elm ISD elementary school custodian Eric Landaverde was charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14; Austin ISD custodian Agustin Lopez was arrested on a charge of indecency with a child; and Bullard ISD janitor Bryan Taylor was jailed for unlawful restraint and attempted sexual performance by a child.
The Texas Education Agency is currently investigating thousands of educator sexual misconduct complaints and opening more than 250 new cases each month.
Overall misconduct reports tripled in 2026 compared to 2025.
