UPDATED January 17.
An elementary school teacher’s aide in Tyler Independent School District was jailed twice after police caught her in the back seat of a car with a nude 16-year-old boy.
Anahi Arellano was first arrested on Wednesday and charged with sexual assault, a second-degree felonies punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.
Arellano was an instructional aide at Bell Elementary School.
According to arrest records, a Tyler police officer patrolling Fun Forest Park Wednesday night spotted a vehicle with its headlights on and checked it out.
The officer reportedly found Arellano and a 16-year-old boy “clearly nude” in the backseat.
Arellano was arrested by the Tyler Police Department and booked into the Smith County Jail on January 14. She was released the next day on a surety bond.
She was arrested again on January 16 by the Tyler ISD Police Department and charged with improper relationship between educator and student, also a second-degree felony.
Tyler ISD Communications Officer Jennifer Hines said Arellano is “no longer employed by the district,” but she was unable to comment further or provide more details due to the active investigation and confidential personnel matters.
Arellano was certified as an educational aide in August 2025.
She is among a growing number of Texas school employees accused of sex crimes involving students and other minors in just the past few years.
