Ex-Peoria teacher held over student sex videos

A former Peoria high-school drama teacher was arrested Wednesday after videos of sexual activity with minors were found on his phone, police said.

Werner Alcid Girard, 37, taught in the Peoria Unified School District until the end of the 2013-2014 school year, district spokeswoman Danielle Airey said.

Detectives launched the investigation after two 18-year-old men told police that Girard showed them phone videos of Girard engaging in sexual conduct with two underage girls, one of whom was 15 and the other 16 at the time the videos were taken, court records say.

The videos depict the girls in various stages of undress, as well as Girard touching the girls inappropriately, records say.

When the girls were interviewed by police, they said that they did not consent to being touched or filmed and were asleep at the time the videos were recorded, Sgt. Brandon Busse, an Avondale police spokesman, said.

One of the girls said they had previously gone to Girard's house and consumed alcohol, records say.

She told police that the 15-year-old had gotten sick, so they put her to bed in Girard's bed, records say.

While in bed, the older girl said, Girard touched her inappropriately and tried to get between her and the 15-year-old, records say.

Police were alerted of the videos on May 26, after he showed the videos to two 18-year-old men, records say. The 18-year-old men notified police, Busse said.

The girls said they trusted Girard because he was their teacher and they felt as if they were safe in his home, records say.

Girard had worked in the district since 2007 and was employed as a teacher at the time the vidoes were taken, records say.

Girard was arrested on suspicion of a series of crimes, including voyeurism, sexual conduct with a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor and sexual assault.