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Anthony Guadalupe was previously arrested on charges of molesting a single 4-year-old child in his care, but new charges include 14 counts of sexual abuse.
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The video above is from previous reporting.
A former assistant teacher at a St. Johns County preschool has been charged with 14 counts of lewd or lascivious molestation of a child under 12, court records show.
Anthony Guadalupe, 18, was previously arrested in July on allegations of molesting a 4-year-old girl at the private preschool’s St. Johns County campus. He worked there between February and July 2022.
Since then, parents of nine alleged child victims sued Chappell Schools claiming the children suffered sexual abuse at the hands of Guadalupe. Sources tell First Coast News some of those allegations are the basis for the new charges.
Guadalupe has been held in jail without bond since July. Prosecutors say classroom surveillance footage showed a “brazen” assault on the 4-year-old child during parent pickup. Guadalupe has pleaded not guilty.
The details of the new charging document are not yet available but according to the parents’ civil complaint, Guadalupe either molested the children or made them watch sexual acts. It says parents reported concerns about his conduct to Chappell administrative staff, including screen shots taken of the classroom video livestream, allegedly showing “Guadalupe acting inappropriately.”
In an earlier statement to First Coast News, Guadalupe’s defense attorney Tim Pribisco said, “Mr. Guadalupe is yet to be formally charged. We expect charges to be forthcoming. Until charges are filed, we are not entitled to receive any of the evidence the State seeks to use to prosecute him. While we certainly have an understanding of the basis of the allegations, we cannot rush to judgment without receiving all of the information. We will work tirelessly to ensure that Mr. Guadalupe’s rights are protected and that he is zealously represented throughout this process.”
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The lawsuit says school officials knew about his behavior prior to the incident that eventually led to his arrest.
“During Guadalupe’s employment and at all times material, he on numerous occasions sexually battered the Victims, masturbated in front of them, touched their 3 genitals, and/or made them watch as he sexually battered other victims,” it says.
The complaint continues, “One such incident that occurred after Chappell had knowledge, included Guadalupe pulling down one of the victim’s underpants and masturbating in front of several other Victims. This specific incident finally led to Guadalupe’s arrest.”
The complaint claims the school was not transparent about the incidents. “Even after Guadalupe was arrested, Chappell failed to timely disclose Guadalupe’s arrest and the circumstances thereof to multiple parents whose children were exposed to Guadalupe, and actually told parents their children were not victims, thereby delaying the discovery of the additional criminal acts and additional victims. Subsequent evidence has contradicted Chappell’s representations to parents that their children were not victims.”
Chappell Schools previously responded with the following statement:
Yesterday evening we received a complaint with horrible allegations that go far beyond what we know to be factual. There are multiple stories circulating that highlight grossly exaggerated and false allegations.
To be clear, we have been as transparent as possible, assisting the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office as well as the Department of Children and Families since the Anthony Guadalupe incident on 7/18/22. We have been sending regular updates to parents and maintaining an open door to meet with parents in person. The gross allegation that Chappell covered up anything, or attempted to cover up anything, is false and offensive.
