A Gilbert teacher was sentenced to 21 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of “abusive sexual contact of a minor,” according to a statement released by Arizona District Attorney’s Office.
Officials say Tadashi Mitchell Harvey, 30, admitted to sexually touching two victims who are minors; however, investigators say they identified a total of six abuse victims who were all current or former students of Harvey’s.
The Gila River Police Department began investigating Harvey when a kindergarten student said they had been molested earlier in the year.
At the time of the abuse, Harvey was an enrolled member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe. The two children he pleaded guilty to molesting are members of the Gila River Indian Community.
"Our society places immense trust in teachers, and yesterday's 21-year sentence appropriately punishes Harvey's breach of that trust," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Strange. "Protecting school children from predators is one of the U.S. Attorney's Office's most important responsibilities, and we will continue to prosecute such crimes to the fullest extent of the law."
Harvey will be required to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison after serving his 21-year sentence followed by lifetime supervised release.
