School Employee Accused Of Inappropriate Contact With Student

ARLINGTON, VA — An Arlington County Public Schools employee faces stalking and contributing to the delinquency of a minor charges for inappropriate contact with an underage female student, according to authorities. Police are seeking other potential victims.

On May 28, detectives with the Arlington County Police Department were told Rene Alfredo Escobar Jr., 31, of Arlington had inappropriately contacted in person and online a girl who is a student at Washington-Liberty High School. Escobar worked as an instructional assistant at the school.

Detectives arrested Escobar on Monday, charging him with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and stalking: second offense within five years, according to the incident report.

Escobar was arraigned Wednesday morning in Arlington Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court and has a bond hearing set for Thursday morning. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 4.

The stalking charge is a Class 6 felony. If found guilty, Escobar faces a potential penalty of one to five years in prison, or a jail sentence of up to 12 months, and/or a fine up to $2,500, under Virginia law.

Escobar had been previously arrested on a stalking charge in Arlington County, according to court documents.

On Sept. 9, 2023, Escobar pleaded guilty in Arlington General District Court to a misdemeanor charge of stalking, according to court documents. Although he was sentenced to 180 days in jail, he was given a suspended sentence and paid $91 in court costs.

That charge was in connection to a May 31, 2023, arrest for an incident that occurred on June 1, 2022.

The contributing to the delinquency of a minor charge is a Class 1 misdemeanor, which carries a potential jail sentence of up to 12 months and/or a fine of up to $2,500, according to the Code of Virginia.

Additional information regarding the investigation is restricted from release in accordance with Virginia Code § 19.2-11.2, according to police.

Given the Escobar's employment history of interacting with juveniles at schools and a community center in Arlington County, detectives believe there may be additional victims.

Anyone with information about this investigation or has had past inappropriate encounters with Escobar is asked to contact Detective S. Yanda at 703-228-4244 or syanda@arlingtonva.us. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).