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Teacher at Hillcrest High School arrested for groping teenage girls, police say

Posted at 5:12 PM, Dec 21, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-21 22:03:32-05

MIDVALE, Utah — A Hillcrest High School teacher was arrested Thursday after two students told investigators that he had inappropriately touched them.

According to a declaration of probable cause released in 3rd District Court, a 14-year-old student told police that Gustavo Orellana, 28, a teacher at Hillcrest High School, placed his hand on her buttock while she was talking to a student.

The incident allegedly occurred somewhere between Sept. 1 and Dec. 6. The victim told police she felt uncomfortable and didn’t say anything due to the fact that Orellana was her teacher, the declaration said.

An additional 16-year-old student told police that Orellana touched her breast while she was leaving class sometime between August 23, 2017, and June 1 of this year.

The victim said that Orellana touched her breast while referencing the graphic on the t-shirt she was wearing during the incident, according to the declaration.

Police said the victim deliberately tried to avoid Orellana following the incident because she felt uncomfortable.

A fellow teacher told investigators that Orellana was observed being affectionate with students and that Orellana seemed “touchy” and his behavior was inappropriate, though no sexual contact had been directly observed.

Orellana was arrested by detectives with the Unified Police Department for two counts of sexual battery, both class-A misdemeanors. Court documents indicated that his bail was set to $25,000.