A longtime teacher in the Northside Independent School District is accused of sexually abusing an elementary student in 2017, and police believe she may have targeted more children.
Cecilia Cerrillo Mueller, 46, was charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14, a first-degree felony.
Mueller was arrested by the San Antonio Police Department on April 27 and booked into the Bexar County Jail. She was released the next day on a $95,000 bond.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by KENS5, a former student who is now 20 years old recently reported to police that Mueller sexually assaulted him at school when he was a 5th-grader in the 2016-17 school year.
He alleged Mueller frequently singled him out to stay with her during lunch and assaulted him. He said the teacher also had other “favorites.”
Investigators said phone records showed Mueller sent the victim more than 300 messages and pictures.
Northside ISD spokesman Barry Perez confirmed that Mueller was hired by the district in 2007 and was a teacher at Lewis Elementary until 2019. Mueller then moved to Henderson Elementary, where she was working at the time of her arrest.
Perez said Mueller has been placed on administrative leave.
Henderson Elementary Principal Lillyana Hinojosa notified families about Mueller’s arrest, without naming the teacher.
“While I am unable to share specific details regarding the situation, I want to provide you with the assurance that Northside ISD is cooperating fully with the SAPD throughout their investigation,” wrote Hinojosa. “My focus, along with the rest of our staff, remains exactly where it should be; on the safety, well-being, and daily learning of your children.”
Mueller has held a Texas teaching certificate since 2002. She is currently certified as an elementary classroom teacher and a principal.
San Antonio Police asked anyone else who may have been targeted by Mueller to contact the Special Victims Unit at (210) 207-2313.
Over the past few years, a growing number of Texas school employees have been accused of sex crimes involving students and other children, and thousands of educators have been reported to the TEA for sexual misconduct.
