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SALEM, Utah County — A high school teacher was arrested Wednesday after students say he got angry and hit a student and police say he had been drinking.
Carlos Alfredo Castillo, 61, of Payson, was booked into the Utah County Jail for investigation of child abuse and DUI.
On Wednesday, Salem police were notified by "several students" that "Castillo had became mad while teaching a class." An officer was then given a video that showed "Carlos striking a student that was sitting in a chair. The student was struck on his back," according to a police booking affidavit.
The affidavit does not identify the school, but Castillo is listed on the Salem Hills High School website as a law enforcement teacher, the arresting officer is listed as the school's on-campus resource officer, and the affidavit says after the student was hit, Castillo was found "in the driver's seat of his vehicle in the high school parking lot."
When the officer asked Castillo to step out of his car, he noted that Castillo "had slurred speech" and an odor of alcohol on his breath, according to the arrest report.
"I asked Carlos if he had drank alcohol and he stated he had. Carlos stated he had a few drinks earlier in the morning," the affidavit states.
Police say Castillo refused to do field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest.
Thursday afternoon, the Nebo School District confirmed that Castillo taught law enforcement at Salem Hills, Spanish Fork and Payson High schools. The district said administrators were made aware of the allegations on Wednesday and are grateful for local law enforcement for taking immediate action.
"The teacher has been removed from the classroom and put on administrative leave for the rest of the investigation," district spokeswoman Lana Hiskey said. "Any inappropriate behavior is not acceptable and not reflective of the professional conduct that we expect of our educators. This type of behavior will not be tolerated."
Correction: Castillo is a teacher at Salem Hills, Spanish Fork and Payson high schools. An earlier version incorrectly listed Provo High.
