Students testify against former Fresno school teacher accused of sexual assault
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- Former Fresno Unified teacher Aaron Butler faces up to 150 years if convicted.
- Two former second-grade students testified about being asked to sit on his lap.
- Prosecutors say Butler is charged with 10 counts from Aug 2014–June 2017.
A former Fresno Unified teacher faces up to 150 years in prison if convicted on multiple charges of sexually assaulting four of his second-grade students from August 2014 through June 2017.
Two of the former students testified Thursday during the preliminary hearing for Aaron Butler, 56. The students spoke about being called up to Butler’s desk and asked to sit on his lap under the guise of checking their school work.
It was while the students were on his lap that he is accused of molesting them, said prosecutor Brian Exline.
One of the students, who is now 17 years old, testified that the first time Butler asked her to sit on his lap she did not think it was odd.
“It seemed pretty normal,” the former student said, adding that her family is very “huggy.”
But one day in 2017 that all changed. The student testified that Butler offered her the chance to stay in the classroom during recess to color, an activity she loved to do. She agreed and as the students filtered out of the room, Butler asked her to bring her coloring supplies to his desk and sit on his lap, she testified.
She did and that’s when Butler is accused of putting his hand down her pants, she testified. He moved his right hand over underwear and over her vagina, she testified as she started to cry.
“I started to push his hands away, but he said shush and told me it was OK,” the former student said. “He didn’t stop, and I was scared because there was nobody there to help me.”
She got off his lap after telling him she wanted to go outside and get a snack. She left the room and did not return until recess was over.
The student accused Butler of assaulting her more than 10 times during the school year.
Butler’s defense attorney, Jeffery Hammerschmidt, tried to understand why she and the other former student who testified against Butler did not tell anyone about what happened.
A second student who testified Thursday, who is also now 17, said the first time Butler touched her inner thigh and held his hand there she was shocked. She was 8 years old and didn’t even sit on her father’s lap, she testified.
“I didn’t know what to do. I felt uncomfortable, but I didn’t know how to react or what to say,” the second student testified.
She said Butler would have other female students sit on his lap during class. His desk shielded the lower half of his body, so students couldn’t see where his hands were, she testified.
Prosecutor Exline said Butler’s maximum prison sentence could be up to 150 years, if he is convicted of all 10 counts.
The former teacher who taught at Lane Elementary School and Gibson Elementary School was arrested in December 2020 and has remained out of custody after posting bail.
The preliminary hearing continues Friday.
This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 6:59 PM with the headline "Students testify against former Fresno school teacher accused of sexual assault."
