Former Houston teacher charged with sexual assault

HOUSTON — A former Houston ISD middle school teacher was in court Monday, his second appearance after being accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old student.

Dale Vanwright, 63, faces three felonies: sexual performance on a child, sexual assault on a minor aged 14 to 17 and indecency with a minor.

RELATED: Former HISD middle school teacher accused of sexually assaulting 14-year-old girl he was driving home, court documents show

Prosecutors said Vanwright had inappropriate sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl while he was teaching at Tanglewood Middle School.

Authorities said he booked a hotel room and bought condoms so the girl and another teen could have sex in front of him. Prosecutors said they also have audio recordings of Vanwright’s victim asking him if things were OK between them and telling him not to say anything because he claimed he had another case against him.

Investigators believe there may be other victims and have asked them to come forward.

“We’re working around the clock on these cases…we’re waiting for you. So if you’re, you know, this defendant, you were in his middle school class or anyone else. If you’re a victim, please know that we care, we’re here all the time and we’re here to help you in any way we can,” said Jill Wells of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

A judge ordered Vanwright to be off social media, including dating apps, and also ordered a tracking device installed on his phones and computer. The judge also told him he could not have any contact with the victims while he was out on $150,000 bail.

He is due back in court in September.