Man found dead identified as teacher accused of sexually abusing young girl – KION546

By Austin Ellis

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DUBUQUE, Iowa (KWWL) — Dubuque police said the man who died Wednesday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound was a teacher accused of having a sexual relationship with a student.

Police attempted to execute an arrest warrant for 24-year-old Trent Paschal, a teacher at Thomas Jefferson Middle School. Paschal was accused of having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old student.

Through questioning, police learned of inappropriate Snapchat conversations between Paschal and the victim. They also learned of two occasions on which Paschal picked up the student and performed sexual acts in his apartment.

According to police, traffic cameras and surveillance footage showed Paschal picking up the student on May 27, going to his apartment and leaving the apartment together.

As police attempted to execute the warrant for two counts of third-degree sexual abuse on Wednesday, they heard a single gunshot from the apartment. After officers unsuccessfully attempted to speak to Paschal, they found him dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The Dubuque Community School District provided KWWL with a statement on the situation. The district said:

“On Friday, May 31, the Dubuque Community School District received a third-party report of an alleged inappropriate relationship between Trent Paschal and a student. Paschal was a teacher at Jefferson Middle School and Dubuque Online School, as well as a coach in the district. There is no evidence that the alleged inappropriate contact occurred at school. The district immediately began investigating the report according to its established protocols, promptly placing the employee on leave, and engaging law enforcement to investigate. At that time, the Dubuque Police Department assumed leadership of the investigation, with the full cooperation of the district.

At the heart of what we do at Dubuque Community School District is creating a safe learning environment where our students can succeed. These allegations were obviously concerning and were taken very seriously. On June 12, 2024, the District was notified that while attempting to execute the arrest warrant for Trent Paschal, Dubuque Police shot himself and he was pronounced dead at the scene. At that time, the District will join and fully cooperate with the Dubuque Police in addressing this matter.

As a district, we continue to take these allegations very seriously, but we recognize that the loss of life is always tragic.

Our focus now is on supporting our students and staff during this difficult time, knowing that many people’s questions may not have answers.

Additional counseling support will be available in the coming days for those who want additional support in processing these difficult events. Support will be available on Friday, June 14, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. for staff and from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. for students and families at Jefferson. Additional sessions will follow.”

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