PAYSON, Utah — A teacher in the Nebo School District was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly hit a student in a class and admitted to officers he had been drinking.
Carlos Castillo, 61, was charged with one count of child abuse and one count of driving under the influence.
District officials didn't specify what school the incident occurred at, but said Castillo taught at Spanish Fork High School, Salem Hills High School and Payson High School.
Arrest documents detail that students told police Castillo struck a student that was sitting in a chair after he became mad while teaching a class.
Video shown to police showed the student was hit on the back by Castillo, documents report.
Police later located Castillo sitting in a running vehicle, and asked him to come out and speak with officers, documents state.
When he got out and began talking, police noticed he had slurred speech and smelled like alcohol. Castillo told police, "he had a few drinks earlier in the morning...then stated it was earlier," according to arrest documents.
Castillo refused to do a sobriety test when asked by officers and was placed under arrest.
The Nebo School District said Castillo was "removed from the classroom and put on administrative leave for the rest of the investigation."
“Any inappropriate behavior is not acceptable and not reflective of the professional conduct that we expect of our educators," a statement from the district reads in part. "This type of behavior will not be tolerated.”
