2 Texas teachers arrested on the same day on suspicion of child trafficking, other charges
District superintendent offers victim, families prayer for 'healing'
Teachers from two different Texas school districts were arrested on the same day on sex trafficking charges involving children.
Gershon Caston, 38, a coach and teacher at Red Oak ISD just outside Dallas, was arrested on July 20 and charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, child trafficking and other charges, according to Dallas County booking records.
Caston and three other suspects were arrested by police in a joint investigation in connection with the sex trafficking of a minor in the city of Dallas, police said.
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According to investigators, the alleged crimes occurred in June and July.
No additional information about the victim was provided.
Following Caston’s arrest, Red Oak ISD (ROISD) Supt. Brenda Sanford offered her prayers for the victim and her family.
“I pray for her healing and that she is receiving the services she needs for recovery,” Sanford said in a statement.
According to Sanford, while the charges against Caston were “all non-ROISD related,” the district Monday approved the recommendation to suspend Caston without pay and send him a notice of proposed termination.
She also said the district was “moving swiftly through due process to terminate his employment and file the appropriate actions against him with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC).”
Sanford said Caston was cleared for hire in May following a background check and was set to begin work in August.
“As an incoming coach, he was asked to assist with summer strength and conditioning camps and he did so without incident,” she added.
Prior to his hiring at Red Oak Middle School, Caston worked for three other Texas school districts, according to CBS News. Caston, a former basketball player at New Mexico State, also previously worked as a youth basketball coach.
Caston is being held in Dallas County Jail on a $450,000 bond.
The same day Caston was arrested, Annaleigh Andrews, 24, was also arrested and charged with a dozen felonies, including three counts of trafficking a child to engage in sexual conduct and three counts of sexual assault of a child.
The former teacher at Nacogdoches ISD (NISD) in East Texas was arrested following reports of an alleged teacher-student relationship, according to a district statement.
Upon learning of the alleged relationship on July 19, officials contacted NISD police.
Andrews, who officials said resigned earlier in July “before the allegation came to light,” is no longer employed by NISD.
“The district appreciates those who brought the information forward and encourages continued reporting by others when a concern exists regarding the health or safety of our NISD student population,” the statement added.
The box office success of the film “Sound of Freedom” has renewed a national spotlight on the plight of human trafficking, which has an estimated global profit of $150 billion each year, making it “the most lucrative crime after drug trafficking.”
In 2022, there were 15,159 prosecutions worldwide for trafficking, yet these culminated in only 5,577 convictions. In the United States specifically, the National Human Trafficking Hotline received over 10,000 reports regarding 16,554 victims throughout 2021.
