A New York City teaching assistant is facing a slew of rape charges for allegedly having sex with her mentally ill student at her home, NBC New York reported.
Maria Contreras, 29, was hauled off Saturday night after a 14-year-old male student at the Bronx Academy of Letters accused her of having sex with him several times at her Bronx apartment in November 2014.
The substitute paraprofessional made no comment in court on Sunday as she was charged with six counts of rape for the times she allegedly had sex with the boy and two counts of criminal sex acts with a minor for oral sex, according to court records obtained by NBC News.
Contreras was also charged with forcible touching and sexual abuse. She was fired as a TA a few hours after her arrest.
"These allegations are incredibly disturbing," Department of Education spokeswoman Devora Kaye told The New York Times. "Ms. Contreras has been removed from her position and will no longer be employed."
A lawyer for the former TA, however, noted there was no evidence like texts or videos indicating a sexual relationship between Contreras and the student. There were also no witnesses, attorney Ruth Hamilton told NBC New York.
Hamilton said while the accusations should not be dismissed, the victim is a severely mentally impaired teenager.
"We have to keep in mind that this is the word of a special needs boy with serious behavioral issues, who is often suspended from school," Hamilton, of the Bronx Defenders, told the station.
Most paraprofessionals employed in New York work in special education and early childhood development, according to The NY Times. Contreras, who was held on $25,000 bond, faces up to seven years in prison for each rape and criminal sex act charge.
