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Reginald Van Long, inset, is accused of sexually assaulting at least five students at Accelerated Learning Academy middle school in Houston, Texas. (Van Long: Smith County Jail; Screenshot: KHOU/YouTube)
A teacher in Texas is accused of sexually assaulting at least five of his middle school students, going so far as to climb through a bedroom window and use the back seat of his car to partake in the illegal activities, authorities said.
Reginald Van Long, 27, is facing charges of sexual assault of a child between the ages of 14 and 17, online solicitation of a minor under 14 and improper relations with a student.
According to a probable cause arrest affidavit, a witness on Oct. 19, 2023, told detectives from the Houston Police Department that several students at Academy of Accelerated Learning charter middle school came forward to her about Long allegedly making inappropriate comments to them via social media, including one that referred to a student as a “sexy mama.”
One student said in an interview with detectives that when she was 14, she and Van Long would talk online through Instagram when he was her teacher. She said he drove to her house in December 2022, and she went with him into the back seat of his car, where “they made love” and engaged in sexual activity, the affidavit said. He also climbed through her bedroom window in October 2023, officials said. Van Long allegedly admitted in an interview with detectives to having the girl complete sex acts on him from December 2022 through October 2023, the affidavit said.
He also allegedly said he sent several sexual messages through Instagram to multiple other students. In one such message, he allegedly encouraged a 12-year-old girl to leave school so she could have sex with him. He’s accused of engaging in sexual contact with at least five students.
The school did not immediately return a call from Law&Crime seeking comment, but an official told local CBS affiliate KHOU that Van Long was fired last year once the allegations were made.
Records show his teaching certificate lapsed in 2020.
Van Long was arrested and taken to the Smith County Jail, where he’s being held on a $400,000 bond.
