ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County deputies say more potential victims have come forward accusing an Orlando teacher of molestation.
Julio Soto, 49, was Friday after an 11-year-old girl he taught at Castle Creek Elementary School said that Soto touched her chest twice while they were alone in a classroom one day in February.
“We are speaking to potential victims who made allegations of inappropriate touching,” Deputy Christian Marrero said.
He said during a news conference Tuesday that the investigation is still in the early stages so authorities can't comment on the exact allegations that other potential victims have reported.
Deputies said the original allegation stems from an incident in February where Soto pulled the girl from a physical education class and told her to come to his classroom to fix a test she had recently taken.
Soto stood behind the girl told her he was going to find her "tickle spot" and touched her first over her clothes then underneath until she told him to stop, according to the report. Deputies said he touched the girl again on her chest before telling her to return to class.
The girl was initially too embarrassed to report what happened but recently told a friend, who alerted administration.
Captain Orlando Torres said this incident illustrates the importance of parents talking to their children and teaching them the difference between "a good touch and a bad touch."
"We tell parents to have open lines of communication without leading their child into potentially making a statement that isn't true," Torres said.
Deputies said they want the community to know that they will investigate any and all leads or allegations that surface at the highest priority.
“What we really want in this case is for the community to know that we take these things very seriously and we also work hand in hand with (Orange County Public Schools) and they also take these things very seriously," Torres said. "We’re going to continue to investigate this case until we’ve reached every possible lead or any possible piece of evidence in this case."
It's unclear at this point if additional charges will be filed against Soto.
He's being held without bond at the Orange County Jail on a charge of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child under 12 years old.
Since his arrest, Soto has been placed on administrative leave and will not be back in a classroom while there is an open internal investigation.
He has been teaching at Castle Creek Elementary since August 2015.