AURORA | A former VISTA Peak science teacher charged with sexually assaulting a female student waived his right to a preliminary hearing in District Court last week.
Gabriel Alsina, 35, was arrested and charged earlier this summer with five felony counts of sexual assault on a child, according to the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s office.
Alsina had an alleged relationship with a VISTA peak student over the course of two years, engaging in sexual acts at the school, in the trunk of Alsina’s car and at Alsina’s Aurora home in the Murphy Creek neighborhood, according to a police affidavit.
Alsina reportedly gave the victim one-on-one tutoring sessions and guitar lessons at his house, according to the affidavit. After the victim’s mother grew suspicious of how close her daughter and Alsina were becoming, the frequency of the lessons dwindled. At that time, “it was no longer lessons, it was a time for them to cuddle and make out,” according to the affidavit.
The victim told forensic interviewer Lisa Cesario “it was not uncommon for Mr. Alsina to take off her shirt,” according to the affidavit. The victim told the interviewer that one of the first times Alsina undressed her, “she covered her chest when he took off her bra because she felt uncomfortable.”
Alsina told the victim “things with his wife were not going well and they slept in different beds,” according to the affidavit.
At his hearing in District Court Friday afternoon, Alsina was represented by Denver Defense Attorney Christopher Decker.
Alsina posted a $500,000 bond on Aug. 24, according to Vikki Migoya, spokeswoman for the District Attorney’s office.
Police learned of the alleged relationship after receiving a tip from the victim’s therapist, Douglas Parro, who notified police his client told him she was “involved in an inappropriate relationship with her teacher,” according to the affidavit.
After conducting days of interviews, police arrested Alsina on the VISTA Peak campus shortly before 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 7.
In a statement released shortly after Alsina’s arrest, district officials from Aurora Public Schools said they had just learned of the allegations and immediately placed the teacher on administrative leave. School district officials were not available Monday to comment on Alsina’s employment status.
In a VISTA Peak blog post authored by Alsina, he wrote he grew up in Puerto Rico and studied at the University of Kansas.
“After college, I worked as a Petroleum Engineer for Schlumberger and travelled across the globe. After a few years I felt a calling to teach and found myself back in school at the University of Wyoming. At UW I completed a Master’s in Education and taught science for three years to other future teachers.”
He has been a science teacher at Vista PEAK for four years, according to the blog. He goes on to say he’s married to a local music teacher.
“This is the best job I’ve ever had, and I can’t imagine working anywhere else,” Alsina wrote.
Alsina is scheduled for an arraignment at 10 a.m. Dec. 10 in District Court.