Ex-Pasadena ISD Substitute Charged With Indecency With A Child

PASADENA, TX -- A former Pasadena ISD substitute teacher accused of fondling several 4th grade girls over a two-day period was in court on Wednesday. Joshua Lewis was arrested Tuesday and charged with two counts of indecency with a child and one count of improper relationship between an educator and a student.

Lewis is being held in the Harris County Jail with bonds totaling $300,000 on each of the three counts.
Lewis, who began working for Pasadena ISD as a substitute teacher in March 2017, is accused of inappropriately touching several 4th-grade students while working as a substitute teacher at Jessup Elementary on Oct. 4 and Oct. 5.

The incidents were reported to school administrators on Oct. 5 and included claims from students that Lewis touched some of the girls on their breasts and private parts in the classroom.

Lewis, who was fired from Pasadena ISD on Oct. 5, has denied any touching in a sexual manner.

Administrators at Jessup Elementary released the following statement on Oct. 5, which read in part:

"The safety and well-being of our students is of paramount importance at Jessup Elementary. Pasadena ISD takes all allegations of misconduct very seriously. We applaud the 4th-grade students who courageously reported to the counselor they felt uncomfortable when a substitute touched them on their backs, shoulders and legs. Our counselor notified me right away, and I began an investigation, which led to removing the substitute from the campus immediately. We then reported the incident to the Harris County Child Protective Services (CPS) and Pasadena ISD Police, and this remains an active investigation…"

Officials said Lewis worked at 47 Pasadena campuses since being hired in March 2017. As a result, officials are asking anyone who may have information about Lewis to call Pasadena ISD police at 713-740-0200.

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