by | Published
SAN MARCOS, TX – A Hays County jury has convicted and sentenced 54-year-old Kevin Abeyta, a former art teacher in Travis County (Campbell Elementary School in Austin), to 71 years in prison for continuous sexual abuse of a child and multiple counts of possession of child pornography.
According to a press release from the office of Hays County Criminal District Attorney Kelly Higgins, the investigation began in February 2021 after a child reported sexual abuse. Abeyta, who was then a teacher in Atlanta, Georgia, gave several hard drives to a friend after being interviewed by law enforcement. The friend discovered child sexual abuse material on the drives, notified authorities, and turned them over to investigators.
More than a thousand files of child sexual abuse material were found, including images and videos of the victim. Investigators also discovered that Abeyta had been secretly filming at least one young child under her desk at school.
Hays County District Judge Sherri Tibbe stacked the sentences handed down by the jury. Assistant District Attorneys Katie Arnold and Elizabeth Schmidt prosecuted the case. Abeyta is not eligible for parole on the first count of continuous sexual abuse. Arnold thanked the investigators, witnesses, and the "brave survivor" who testified, stating that without their courage, Abeyta "might still be in a classroom putting young children at risk."
