One really bad decision in the classroom led to the arrest of an Arizona school teacher. Curt Hinton, a sixth grade teacher at Wilson Elementary School, took matters into his own hands, literally, and has been placed on leave after a bizarre Tuesday, March 18 incident.
According to Fox 10 Phoenix, a 12-year-old boy and three 11-year-old girls who were students in Hinton’s class told the principal that they witnessed him peeing into an aluminum can underneath his desk. The students said after hearing what they thought was the sound of running water, they noticed that sound was actually their teacher urinating, adding that they caught a glimpse of his penis in the process.
Hinton, 52, admitted to the act when questioned and told police that he didn’t think any of his students could see him relieving himself because he was covering his private parts with his hand. CBS 19 Cleveland reports that detectives described that the desk was not enclosed, and a person in the class could see the legs of anyone seated at the teacher’s desk.
He acknowledged that what he did was wrong, but added that he is a new teacher at the school and didn’t know how to reach another faculty member to watch his students while he went to the restroom. Without any other options, he resorted to a tactic he says he used while he was in the military, according to Arizona Family.
Police arrested Hinton, who faces four counts of felony indecent exposure. He has been placed on leave from the school while administrators conduct an investigation.
A spokesperson for the Wilson Elementary School District told Fox 10 Phoenix that they are cooperating with police, adding that while the school doesn’t have a written policy around teacher’s restroom use, it is common for teachers to ask another teacher or administrator to watch their students if they need to step away from their classroom.