We report tonight on the controversy coming out of San Ignacio Town which involves a primary school teacher who is accused of inappropriately contact with a male student. Eddie Pinelo is in jail tonight after he was arraigned last week Friday on the charge of aggravated assault of an indecent nature.
It's due to a report by a 14 year-old male student who reported to police that on March 22, he visited Pinelo's home in Bullet Tree. The minor alleges that while at the teacher's house, they both drank Caribbean rum with coke. He said that after about three cups, he felt drunk, but he could remember that he was taken to a bed. He alleges that the teacher removed all his clothing and had intercourse with him. A doctor examined him and certified that there were no signs of abuse, so the police could not bring an unnatural crime charge against him.
Well, before the minor reported the incident, he allegedly confided in a coach, who advised him to go to police. That coach is now reportedly coming under fire from supporters of Pinelo, who are allegedly issuing death threats against him.
He spoke to 7News today, and asked for us to shield his identity, and he told us what the minor confided in him:
Voice of: Concerned Teacher
"During the Easter vacation I was at the Falcon Field in San Iglancio where I met this student and this student told me that he was with a teacher drinking at the river then the teacher took him to his house not far away from the river and put him on the bed in front of a porn and a laptop and sodomized him. He took off his clothes and had sex with him for about half an hour."
Daniel Ortiz
"But the doctors preliminary examination are saying that there were no signs of abuse. Does the child still believe strongly that he was sodomized?"
Voice of: Concerned Teacher
"The child still strong believes that he was sodomized. The doctor said that the anus had already healed up and that if it was two to three days after they could have found out if the child was really sodomized. The doctor said anything could have caused the wound if he fell or not. Since I made the step to help this child I've been receiving a lot of threats mainly by the family of the accused. What hurts me the most is that my own fellow co-workers are against me. In one instance I was in a classroom and one of the teachers came up to me and told me that I was a hypocrite. I could recall on a Thursday when I went down to the police station, that same teacher and some others along with the school warden was with the family at the roundabout in front of the San Ignacio Police Station and the same teacher pointed me out to the family that I was the one that made the report and from since then I have been receiving threats from the family."
Daniel Ortiz
"So what's the situation? Have you reported these to the police? It seems serious."
Voice of: Concerned Teacher
"On numerous occasions I've made my report to the police. One instance when I was going down to the Police station to make a report about the previous night where my house was stoned I was walking down the Bullet Tree road by courts in San Iglancio where a man in a motorcycle came up to me and said 'Inform of the dead' - I quickly went to the police station and told them what had happened. The police officers set chase to the motorcycle but they did not catch the motorcycle. I would like to have the Ministry of Education and the teachers commission to get involved in this to talk to these teachers because if it wasn't for these teachers I wouldn't be in this position right now. They are the ones that are 'bashing' me for doing what is right - helping a child out and we need to protect our children. There are many child molesters out here who are getting away with these things and so we need to protect them."
Our colleagues from KREM News contacted the principal and vice-principal at the school where the coach works. The vice-principal told them they have no knowledge of this coach receiving threats. They also contacted the acting officer in command at the San Ignacio Police Station who told them that he has no knowledge of any threats against this coach. That is directly the opposite of what the coach told us, that he's made numerous reports.
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