Hianlucas Isturiz Rodriguez, 43, pled guilty last week to criminal sexual conduct with a minor, 3rd degree for sexually abusing a student.

11th Circuit Chief Administrative Judge Walton J. McLeod, IV imposed the maximum sentence of 15 years following the guilty plea.

Under South Carolina law, this crime is classified as a violent offense. Rodriguez will be required to register as a sex offender and be subject to electronic monitoring upon his release from the SC Department of Corrections.

Rodriguez, known by his students as Senor Isturiz, was employed as a Spanish language immersion teacher at Red Bank Elementary School from 2014 until 2017.

The school district terminated his employment following the child’s disclosure of abuse.

In April of 2017, a 6-year-old victim reported to her family that Senor Isturiz was inappropriately touching her at school. During the course of the investigation, other students were interviewed.

LCSD Investigator Miller stated, “While this case will, in a sense, be laid to rest today, it will never be laid to rest for these children. These children will continue to bear and wrestle with their new trauma for the rest of their lives.”

Rodriguez will be transported to the SC Department of Corrections to begin immediate service of his sentence. Once Rodriguez completes the prison sentence, he faces deportation back to his home country of Venezuela.