Former Ponder ISD assistant principal arrested

PONDER, Texas — A former assistant principal within the Ponder faculty district has been accused of getting an improper relationship with a scholar, police and district officers confirmed to WFAA.

Officials stated Ruben Lee Bergara, 41, turned himself in to the Denton County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 31 after an investigation by police and Ponder ISD led to an warrant for his arrest. 

He faces a cost of improper relationship between an educator and a scholar.

In March, a Ponder High School scholar reported to Ponder High School administration about an improper relationship between an educator and scholar at Ponder Junior High School, police and district officers stated. 

Ponder ISD leaders – with help from the Ponder Police Department, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and the Texas Education Agency – performed an investigation into the report and recognized Bergara, a Ponder Junior High School assistant principal on the time, because the suspect, officers stated.

The investigation continued with interviews, statements, movies, and different media, Ponder police stated. Bergara was positioned on paid administrative depart in the course of the investigation. Bergara formally resigned as an worker of Ponder ISD in early May, the district stated in a press launch.

The investigation resulted in an arrest warrant for the felony offense of Improper Relationship Between Educator/Student, and Bergara turned himself in to the Denton County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 31. Bergara was booked into the Denton County Jail.

Ponder police stated further costs could observe. 

The investigation stays ongoing as police work to find out if there are extra college students who could possibly be victims of Bergara. Ponder police stated situations have been positioned on Bergara’s bond with regard for the security of Ponder ISD college students and employees in thoughts. 

Most notably, Bergara has been remanded from being on or inside 1,000 ft of any Ponder ISD property or any Ponder ISD exercise the sufferer could attend, no matter location, officers stated. There are additionally quite a few different situations set in place associated particularly to the alleged sufferer, police stated.

If any scholar or guardian has information about this case, officers ask you contact the Ponder Police Department at 940-479-7017.