A physical education teacher at a middle school in New Castle, Delaware, has been arrested — and is facing 17 felony charges — after, police say, he sent sexually explicit texts and social media messages to an 8th grade student at the school where he taught. According to police officials in D elaware, Ricardo Vila, 39, a physical education teacher at George Read Middle School in New Castle, Del. was arrested on Monday morning on charges that claim he sent sexually explicit messages to an eighth grader. “Parents deserve to trust that their children are safe at school, full stop,” said Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings in a statement on Vila’s arrest. “Any case with a child victim is heinous; cases where the abuser held a position of trust are beyond the pale. Child predators are our priority. We will find them, we will charge them without compromise, and we will bring them to justice.” Police officials said Vila has been charged with 17 felony counts, including six charges of sexual solicitation of a child, six counts of promoting sexual solicitation of a child, two counts of obscenity and one count each of enticement, sexual abuse of a person in a position of trust and dangerous crime against a child. According to court documents, the school, along with the victim, a 13-year-old student at George Read Middle School, told police about sexually explicit messages that were allegedly traded between the child and Vila. A review of these messages, according to court documents, revealed that Vila allegedly repeatedly discussed and requested sexual acts from the child and told the child he would perform sexual acts on them. Police claim, in court documents, that Vila also shared images of himself that were sexually explicit with the child and told the student he was “real hard and horny.” In a statement on Vila’s arrest, William D. Crotty, superintendent of the Delaware State Police thanked the school district for its help in bringing this matter to the police. “The Delaware State Police remains committed to protecting the community’s most vulnerable members, our children,” stated Crotty in a statement. “We commend the Colonial School District for promptly bringing this matter to our attention, allowing law enforcement to take immediate action. This case highlights the crucial collaboration between our detectives and the Delaware Department of Justice in holding offenders accountable. We will continue to work diligently alongside our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to ensure that those who exploit children face justice.” Investigators are not currently aware of additional victims in this case, police officials said. However, given the nature of Vila’s work and the fact that it brought him into regular contact with children, Delaware police officials are seeking any information the public may have about this case. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Kevin Kelleher of the Delaware State Police at 302-365-8436. Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox. ...read more read less