CRIME
Edison Elementary School teacher charged with sexual abuse
Apr 26, 2023, 6:08 PM | Updated: Apr 27, 2023, 7:08 pm
SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah — A longtime teacher at Edison Elementary School is facing allegations of sexually abusing a student during class.
On Wednesday, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office filed a first-degree felony charge of aggravated sexual abuse of a child against 44-year-old Jarden Tichy.
According to the indictment, a 13-year-old victim told police that Tichy sexually abused her while she was in second grade at Edison Elementary School.
The victim said that Tichy would sit at a table with her, take off her shoes and socks, and “aggressively” touch her feet. She also claims that Tichy would pick her up multiple times, sit her on his lap, and inappropriately touch her while she played computer games.
According to the indictment, Tichy has a “Class Dojo” reward system where students could earn points in exchange for “different types of gifts that Tichy bought.”
The victim told police that she “would play games at the table with Tichy, and she would earn special points ‘for no reason.’
“Our office will always aggressively prosecute those who victimize our children, especially those who hold a position of special trust in relation to the child, like a teacher. We applaud the young survivor that made the decision to speak up and report this allegation. It is difficult for anyone to have the courage to take this step, especially a child,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney, Sim Gill. “We’d like to thank the Salt Lake City Police Department for gathering the supportive evidence to screen and file charges for this alleged crime.”
According to police, Tichy has been teaching for 19 years, and there have been three other former female students that described similar events towards them.
The Salt Lake City School District said Tichy also worked at Edison Elementary since 2015. He worked previously at Franklin Elementary School from 2004-2015.
Gill said, “I want to really communicate to anybody who feels like something has happened to them to please reach out, communicate with your parents, talk to your law enforcement, share that information, you’re not at fault, this is not your fault.”
