By NICK YAMASHITA
The Progress
A local school counselor was arrested on Thursday, March 21 in Mesquite, according to the Mesquite Police Department.
Charles Hughes Middle School Counselor David Scott Curtis, 54, was arrested at about 12 p.m. after the police were notified about an arrest warrant issued out of Southern Utah.
Mesquite Police Public Information Officer Sgt. Wyatt Oliver said he couldn’t release much information pertaining to the investigation but confirmed the warrant was issued out of St. George.
“He was arrested within minutes of us being notified of the warrant,” he said.
The arrest warrant issued stated the reason for the warrant is a charge of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor.
The investigation involves the allegations of a crime committed 10 years ago.
Due to certain evidence and victim statements coming to light recently, Curtis was arrested and booked into Clark County Detention Center to await exportation to Utah.
Oliver said currently they are unaware of any crimes being committed by Curtis while he has been at Hughes Middle School. However, he urged that if anyone is aware of any such incidents involving Curtis to contact the police department, Detective Justin Cheney or talk to the school resource officer Justin Goodsell.
“We understand there is a lot of misunderstanding on social media and online about this specific case,” Oliver said. “We take crimes against youth very seriously and as soon as we were notified about the situation we took action and the arrest warrant was fulfilled immediately. The safety of our children is of the utmost importance to us.”
Oliver gave advice to all parents. “Parents, talk to your kids about the importance of boundaries with adults, including trusted adults,” he said. “Make sure to let your kids know to tell you anytime they feel uncomfortable with an adult or if anything inappropriate has happened to them.”
St George Police Department has not replied to contact attempts made.
As of Monday, Curtis was still being held at CCDC. He was the fourth Clark County School District employee to be arrested within a week.
