Two adults were arrested last Friday in Mt. Pleasant on charges of molestation. The individuals involved are identified as 30-year-old Cristian Gomez, who was a teacher affiliated with the Color Guard, and 24-year-old Thomas J. Collier of Cookville, who was not employed by the Mt. Pleasant Independent School District (MPISD).
The arrests were carried out by State Troopers, who subsequently booked the suspects into the Titus County Jail. Each of them had a bond set at $40,000, and they were released from custody after posting bond.
The MPISD became aware of allegations against one of their employees on Thursday afternoon. In response, they immediately placed the employee on administrative leave, pending the results of an investigation. On Friday evening, the school district was informed that the MPISD employee had been arrested by the police for sexual assault of a child.
Mt. Pleasant Superintendent Jud Marshall addressed the situation by stating, "While the charge does involve one of our MPISD employees, no MPISD students were involved. We take any charge against one of our employees seriously and work hard to maintain a safe environment for all our students and staff. We have terminated the employee."
