Ex-Cop Arrested, Indicted: Accused Of Inappropriate Relationship With Student
El Paso Sheriff’s deputies arrested a former police sergeant on Tuesday for allegedly engaging in an inapropriate relationship with a 15-year-old student at an area high school where he was employed in an off-duty capacity.
He was indicted March 1. According to the indictment, while an employee of Riverside High School, Lucero engaged in sexual contact with “Jane Doe,” a person enrolled in the school. He is accused in the indictment of touching her breast on or about March 1, 2009.
El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen fired Miguel Lucero in early December. The allegations were received by the El Paso Police Department in mid-September. The department suspended Sgt. Lucero’s ability to work in an off-duty capacity immediately pending the outcome of the investigations.
Lucero worked as an off-duty Security Officer for the Ysleta Independent School District on an as-needed basis since 2001. Lucero worked primarily at Riverside High School, according to district officials. Lucero has not worked for YISD since the end of Sept. 2010 and YISD stopped utilizing the services of Lucero at the direction of the El Paso Police, according to district officials.
There has been no outcry made by students or parents to campus administration or district officials regarding Lucero, district officials said.
According to police officials, in early November, the allegations appeared to be credible at which time Lucero was placed on administrative duty. The administrative investigation concluded and established that Lucero had engaged in an inappropriate relationship, police officials said.
During a news conference in early December, Allen had stern words for members of his department.
“They should know better simply as adults, and their responsibilities to the public as police officers,” he said.
The Police Department’s Special Investigations Group conducted a criminal investigation into the allegations against Lucero.
“I want to reassure the public that the El Paso police department will always take matters such as this very seriously and take the appropriate action,” Chief Allen said at the time of Lucero’s firing.
