Orlando teacher accused of molesting student may have other victims, officials say

Julio Soto, teacher at Castle Creek Elementary, being investigated

Booking photo of Julio Soto.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orange County elementary school teacher accused of molesting a student could have more possible victims, according to an arrest warrant.

Records show Julio Soto, 49, a teacher at Castle Creek Elementary School, was taken into custody last week after a student said Soto touched her inappropriately.

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The girl, who sprained her arm in her physical education class last month, said Soto is her teacher for part of the day, normally for the afternoon portion, according to the warrant.

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Because she was injured, she couldn't take part in the activities in her physical education class and was sitting out to the side when Soto approached her and asked her to come upstairs and fix her test, deputies said.

The girl told investigators she agreed to go with him to his classroom, which is located on the second floor, the warrant said.

When they got upstairs, Soto told the girl he was going to try to find her tickle spot and began touching her above her clothing and eventually underneath it, deputies said.

When she told him to stop, Soto replied, "Oh, OK," and stopped, then did it again, and again stopped when she told him to, according to the warrant. 

Soto went back to her desk while the girl finished her test. When she was done, he told her there were two minutes left of the physical education class and that she should go back downstairs, deputies said.

The girl said she asked Soto if anyone could see them in the classroom and he said they couldn't because a privacy paper was in place over the door, according to the warrant.

Deputies said the girl didn't initially tell her parents about the alleged incident because she was afraid of how they would react, but she eventually told her friends because she "couldn't take it anymore," the warrant said.

Soto was taken into custody at a Publix shopping plaza located at the intersection of Chuluota Road and East Colonial Drive, about 2 miles away from the school.

Since his arrest, Soto has been placed on administrative leave and will not be placed in a classroom while there is an open internal investigation.

He's been teaching at Castle Creek Elementary since August 2015.

Parents on Monday didn't comment about the allegations but said they received a voicemail from  Principal Monica Johnson about Soto's arrest.

"We take any and all allegations very seriously, and the safety of our students is my first priority," Johnson said in the recorded message.

Soto's defense attorney told an Orange County judge on Saturday that his client has no criminal history and is the father of an 11-year-old girl and 16-year-old boy.

Soto on Monday remained at the Orange County Jail without bond and has been ordered to stay away from the alleged victim and minors.

Officials said detectives are investigating possible other victims. Anyone with information is asked to call 407-836-4357.


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