Former East Texas coach convicted of inappropriately touching students

CASS COUNTY — According to our news partner KETK, a former Atlanta ISD teacher and coach was convicted on four counts of indecency with a child and four counts of improper relationship between an educator and a student on Aug. 2. The Cass County Criminal District Attorney said Taureaus Alvaro Maxwell, 31, a former teacher and coach at Atlanta ISD has been convicted on four counts of indecency with a child by contact and four counts of improper relationship between educator and student. He will now start a 60-year sentence in prison and will have to pay a $10,000 fine on each charge.

The DA’s office said that evidence showed that on April 10, 2023, two students from Atlanta High School outcried to school administration about sexual abuse and online solicitation by Maxwell. The student reportedly said Maxwell requested that he add him on Snapchat where Maxwell sent multiple “snaps” throughout the year. The DA’s office said that the student testified that pictures Maxwell sent where inappropriate and stated things such as “take those clothes off” and “I want videos of the ones when you’re out of the shower.”

Another student testified that Maxwell had touched him on his genitals in the classroom, while sitting by Maxwell’s desk at the back of the class.

A third student also reported that Maxwell had grabbed his genitals between classes in the doorway of one of the buildings. This student claimed Maxwell had requested pictures of his genitals on Snapchat. A fourth student allegedly said Maxwell had also requested pictures of his genitals on Snapchat.

Judie Townsend, a Special Investigator with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), testified that she has been involved in the case since April 13, 2023 and was advised that Atlanta ISD School Resource Officers “had already concluded their investigation, finding that no probable cause existed to make an arrest.”

Townsend said she was seriously concerned because Snapchat records had been preserved or requested, Maxwell’s phone had not been seized and he had not been interviewed.

Townsend testified that the officers seemed to believe the children were lying although no evidence was provided to suggest any motive for them to do so. Townsend said Snapchat photos given to her from one of the student’s phone was illegible black and white copies, and she was never given the color copies the student gave to the school resource officers.

After Townsend shared her concerns to Superintendent Jason Harris, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office took over the investigation.

Sabrina Sartor, an investigator with the sheriff’s office said when she took over, her first step was to watch the forensic interviews with three of the students where she discovered there were possibly more victims or witnesses.

She then set seven more forensic interviews that were conducted over the next few days. Sartor was able to preserve the Snapchat accounts of Maxwell and several students, including three victims.

During the trial, evidence showed that Maxwell had been actively deleting Snapchat records for eight days before his records were preserved. Three days before his “expulsion” from campus, Maxwell reportedly deleted 53 possible students from snapchat.

The district attorney’s office said the jury deliberated around nine hours on the 13 charges and found him guilty on eight.

At punishment, prosecutors reportedly presented evidence that Maxwell was previously employed as a probation officer for Bowie County Community Supervision Office in 2021 where he reportedly received three complaints regarding sexually inappropriate behavior. Due to the complaints, Maxwell was placed on restrictions and was not allowed to conduct urinalysis testing. He was later terminated from his job in June 2021.

The state presented evidence that Maxwell had lied on his employment application to Atlanta ISD.

“When asked, ‘Have you ever been involuntarily terminated, notified of proposed termination, non-renewed, notified of proposed non-renewal, asked to resign from, or not reemployed by any employer,’ Maxwell answered, ‘No.’ Jason Harris, Superintendent of Atlanta ISD, indicated Maxwell never would have been hired if he had known of Maxwell’s previous termination and the reasons for it.”
Cass County District Attorney’s Office

The jury came back after an hour and handed down the maximum sentence on each charge totaling 20 years. The judge ruled that three of the 20-year sentences in his indecency with a child cases were to run consecutively, meaning Maxwell would not start serving his second sentence until the first was completed. The fourth count of indecency with a child would run concurrently with his third sentence.

Maxwell will not be eligible for parole until he has served at least one-half of the sentence. Maxwell’s improper relationship between educator and student charges will run concurrently with the first indecency with a child charge.

“This case would have never been brought to light if it hadn’t been for the persistence of CPS Special Investigator Judie Townsend. We are extremely grateful for her tenacity and courage in stepping up to protect the students of Atlanta High School,” Cass County Criminal District Attorney Courtney Shelton said. “We are also thankful to Investigator Sabrina Sartor with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office for her willingness to step into this investigation late in the process and preserve as much evidence as possible.”