A Laredo teacher found guilty of sexually abusing a 13-year-old male student was sentenced to 33 years in state prison.
Jurors convicted Adriana Mariel Rullan on three felony charges: continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, indecency with a child by sexual contact, and improper relationship between educator and student.
The most serious offense, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, is a first-degree felony punishable by 25 years to life in prison.
Rullan was a teacher at Gonzalez Middle School in the United Independent School District at the time of her arrest in December 2023.
United ISD police conducted the investigation and made the arrest.
Rullan was then released from jail on bonds totaling $175,000.
District officials stated at the time that they had placed an unnamed employee on leave and assured the community the individual was “no longer employed by the District.”
The Webb County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case, which was presided over by Judge Beckie Palomo of the 341st District Court in Webb County.
Court records show Rullan pleaded not guilty to the charges.
During the two-day trial June 29-30, prosecutors presented witnesses and evidence proving Rullan engaged in sexual contact with the student more than a dozen times while at school. Evidence included text messages, photos, videos, and Cash App receipts.
The jury deliberated just over two hours before reaching its guilty verdict on Tuesday.
Rullan’s bond was revoked and she was sent back to the Webb County Jail.
KGNS reported that the victim testified during Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, telling jurors how the teacher’s sexual abuse had traumatized him.
His mother testified how her outgoing son became isolated and depressed after the abuse. She called Rullan a sick and manipulative person and told jurors the teacher should not be allowed to abuse other children.
Prosecutors reminded jurors Rullan was an adult in a position of trust whose abuse left lasting scars on her young student, while the defense said the teacher needs help and deserves a chance to redeem herself.
Jurors sentenced Rullan to 33 years in state prison for the sexual abuse charge, 13 years for the indecency charge, and 10 years for the improper relationship charge. The jury also assessed fines totaling $20,000.
Online records show Rullan had worked for United ISD since the 2020-21 school year.
Rullan has held a Texas teaching certificate for English Language Arts and special education since 2020. Her certification is currently under review by the Texas Education Agency.
In just the past few years, hundreds of Texas school employees have been accused of sex crimes involving students and other children in districts across the state—including United ISD.
In June, Ramirez Middle School teacher David Martinez was arrested and charged with raping a 14-year-old student inside his classroom.
Also in June, teacher Emmanuel Palacios was sentenced to 180 days in jail after pleading guilty to having sex with a 15-year-old Johnson High School student in 2022. Multiple rape charges were dropped as part of his plea deal.
The TEA’s Educator Misconduct Reporting Dashboard shows that the agency is currently investigating more than 2,400 sexual misconduct complaints and opening an average of 260 new cases each month.
