Utah first-grade teacher accused of sexual assault of child

MAGNA, Utah — A first-grade teacher at a Utah elementary school is accused of inappropriately touching a female minor during a Super Bowl party in February, authorities said.

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Dale Andreason, 70, was arrested and charged with four first-degree felony charges of aggravated abuse of a child, KUTV reported. He was ordered jailed without bail after charges were filed on Thursday, according to KSL-TV.

The webpage for Elk Run Elementary School, located in Magna in the Granite School District, listed Andreason as a first-grade teacher, The Gephardt Daily reported. His biography was no longer on the website as of Sunday.

According to a probable cause statement, Andreason touched the minor during a Super Bowl party in West Valley City, KUTV reported. A woman who witnessed the sexual abuse also accused the teacher of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager, court documents said.

The alleged victims were not students of Andreason, according to an arrest affidavit. The probable cause statement noted that Andreason admitted to a family member “that he had fantasies about children he teaches but has not acted on them,” KSL reported.

In a message to parents, Elk Run Elementary Principal Lisa Wells said that Andreason was placed on leave when police said he was the subject of an investigation, according to the television station.

“We were recently notified and wanted to alert you regarding some disturbing information from the West Valley Police Department, wherein our first-grade teacher, Mr. Andreason, was arrested this morning on some very serious charges involving inappropriate contact with a minor,” Wells wrote. “We are still gathering information on this matter, but we were notified several days ago that an investigation was ensuing and he was placed on leave at that time. It is believed that the suspected illegal behavior is limited to family members.”

“Student safety is our primary concern and we take these charges very seriously. We have received no indication from WVCPD that our students were involved.”