SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said he is making some changes at his training academy in response to the arrest this week of a training deputy.
Toribio Gutierrez, 48, was arrested Tuesday on charges of indecent assault and official oppression.
Gutierrez, a 23-year BCSO veteran, had worked as a firearms training instructor for nearly five years.
He is accused of groping a 25-year-old female cadet who he was training.
“He indicated to her, ‘Well you want to graduate, don’t you?,’” Salazar said.
The sheriff said since the investigation began, four others also have come forward with allegations, and he suspects there may be even more victims.
“I find it hard to believe that all of a sudden this just occurred, and this just occurred to these five young ladies,” Salazar said.
The claims came to light after a male cadet spoke out about what was going on, Salazar said.
In response to this case, Salazar said he plans to question others who were trained by Gutierrez to see what they may know.
The sheriff said he also is making changes at the academy, including in the way classes are taught.
“Male instructors just will not be teaching a class by themselves,” Salazar said. “There’s going to be a female instructor in the class.”
The arrests comes at a time when BSCO is conducting a huge recruitment campaign.
Salazar said he wants those who are interested in working for his department, as well as their families, to be able to rest easy and feel safe.
“It’s just not acceptable that anybody can make any female, or male for that matter, feel uncomfortable in a position like that,” he said.