KATY, Texas — A former elementary school teacher in Lamar CISD is going to prison for sexually abusing a 6-year-old student.
Jurors in Fort Bend County convicted Troi Moore, 47, of indecency with a child by sexual contact and indecency with a child by exposure. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison on each charge.
Editor's note: The above video originally aired in 2021.
Moore was a kindergarten teacher at Tamarron Elementary in Katy when he was arrested in 2021 and charged with abusing the little boy. The victim was isolated in the classroom and assaulted.
The victim, now 8 years old, testified against his former teacher during the trial.
“This case is truly a parent’s worst nightmare as school should be a safe place to send our children," lead prosecutor Alycia Curtis said. "The victim showed incredible bravery by not only telling his parents what happened to him in the classroom but by facing Moore in court.”
“I applaud the jury for holding the defendant accountable for his despicable behavior,” District Attorney Brian Middleton said. “And what is effectively a 20-year prison sentence, keeps all of our children safer here. I thank the survivor for being so brave and for helping us get justice in this case.”
As part of his sentence, Moore will have to register as a sex offender. He agreed not to appeal.
Moore had been a teacher for more than 20 years and joined Lamar CISD in 2020. The district said he passed a criminal history check and received positive recommendations from another area school district.
After his arrest, Lamar CISD's superintendent released the following statement.
“This incident is very troubling," Lamar CISD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Roosevelt Nivens stated. “The families of more than 39,000 students entrust our district with the care and education of their children on a daily basis. Each day, Lamar CISD teachers and staff come to our schools, set an excellent example serving these students, and do the right things for our children. So, to learn that a teacher, entrusted with the safety and well-being of our children, may have been involved in criminal conduct is just devastating.”
After the arrest, parents of Moore’s current and former students were notified about details of the investigation and offered access to forensic interviews for their children.