LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. — A former elementary school teacher has been extradited from Ecuador to Lexington County on charges of sexual contact with a minor.
Hianlucas Isturiz Rodriguez, 42, engaged in sexual battery of a Red Bank Elementary School student multiple times while on duty at the school in 2016 and 2017, according to arrest warrants.
Isturiz, known by students and parents as "Senor Isturiz," is charged with two counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
"Right after we obtained arrest warrants for Isturiz and shared this case with the public, we received a tip that he had fled the country," Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said. "We immediately reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for assistance in locating Isturiz and bringing him back to Lexington County."
Isturiz arrived in Lexington County Thursday. He was being held in Ecuador awaiting extradition after he was arrested this summer, Koon said.
The 5K immersion teacher was terminated in May of 2017 after investigations stemming from allegations that a female student made against him, according to a statement from Lexington school District One.
Isturiz is being held in Lexington County Detention Center while he awaits a bond hearing scheduled for Friday.