Middle school teacher charged with sexual assault of a student in Texas, officials say

A middle school teacher was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a student, according to authorities in Texas.

Cleveland Middle School teacher Alexander Oveal was taken into custody on Oct. 10, where he was held in the Liberty County Jail on a $100,000 bond, according to an Oct. 18 news release.

The next day, Oveal was released after posting his bond.

Cleveland Independent School District sent a letter home notifying parents on Tuesday, Oct. 18, according to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office.

In the letter, Superintendent Stephen McCanless said the district worked with authorities when launching an investigation into “a possible inappropriate relationship between a staff member and a female student.”

“CISD will never tolerate conduct that places the safety of a child in jeopardy, and we plan to pursue this matter to the fullest extent the law allows,” he said.

The Liberty County District Attorney’s Office and sheriff’s investigators have conducted “numerous interviews” with male and female students, according to the release. More interviews with Cleveland Middle School students are expected for the next several days.

Oveal was named a district “teacher of the week” in 2019.

Anyone with additional information regarding the allegations is asked to call the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office at 936-336-4500 or the Liberty County District Attorney’s Office at 936-336-4609.

Cleveland is about 45 miles northeast of Houston.

This story was originally published October 19, 2022 at 6:05 PM with the headline "Middle school teacher charged with sexual assault of a student in Texas, officials say."