Charges: Hopkins school aide inappropriately touched female students
A 54-year-old Hopkins School District employee was charged Monday with two counts of criminal sexual conduct for allegedly inappropriately touching female students.
The complaint says counselors at Eisenhower Elementary school received a letter from students on April 6 regarding David Joseph Madrigal, a student support specialist at the school. The letter alleged that Madrigal was touching 6th grade students "in a manner that made them feel scared", according to the complaint.
Madrigal is on administrative leave.
"The District responded to the complaint immediately and worked in partnership with the Hopkins Police Department. During the investigation, the employee was placed on administrative leave and a no-trespass/no contact order was issued banning the employee from school grounds," school district spokesperson Jolene Goldade wrote in an email.
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Police arrested Madrigal Friday. He has a court appearance scheduled for Tuesday.
The complaint says police heard about inappropriate contact from several female students, including a 10-year-old and a 12-year-old. Police also searched Madrigal's workspace and found "adult sites" in his browser history.
Hopkins police spokesperson Mike Glassberg said Madrigal's computer is at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for further analysis. Glassberg said he doesn't know if other victims will turn up in the case.
"It's always a possibility, and we're telling — if parents have good dialogue with their children, and if they suspect something then they're encouraged to call our police department," Glassberg said.