A 26-year-old high school English teacher in New York City is facing charges after police say he openly took a 16-year-old student on a date to a local family-style chain Italian restaurant and – on a separate occasion – got her wasted at an Irish bar.
The male teacher, Cesar Alvarez, works at the Felisa Rincon de Gautier Institute for Law and Public Policy, a public high school in the Bronx. The student attends the same school.
On April 15, Alvarez took the unidentified, underage girl to Carmine’s restaurant on W. 44th Street in Manhattan’s theater district, reports the New York Post. He bought her a glass of white wine.
On May 16, the long-haired, goateed teacher took the girl to Quinn’s Bar and Grill, an Irish pub in Hell’s Kitchen. According to the criminal complaint against Alvarez, he upped the booze ante on this second date by providing her with “at least five alcoholic drinks.”
The complaint says also kissed her two times, proclaiming “You’re going to remember this.”
And remember it she did! After the girl came home liquored up, her parents confronted her. At some point, she apparently spilled the beans, leading her parents to contact police.
Alvarez was arrested on Tuesday evening. He faces a couple of counts of endangering the welfare of a child and a single count of third-degree sexual abuse. On Wednesday, he was released on his own recognizance.
The mission statement of the long-windedly named school where Alvarez teaches declares that its aim is to “create a respectful environment where students feel safe exploring new ideas,” notes the Post.
Alvarez, who only began working at the school in September, has been reassigned, according to a school spokesman.
Carmine’s – the first-date site for the romantic couple – has two locations in Manhattan (and four locations in other cities). Reviewers on Yelp call the Carmine’s branch which the lovebirds visited “noisy, crowded” and “energetic.” Happy customers love the “enormous,” “garlicky and delicious” portions. Detractors say the place is “very overpriced.”
There must be something about American high school teachers on the prowl and casual dining at Italian-American chains.
Back in December, Paul Edward Tate, a 36-year-old history teacher at Pasadena Memorial High School in the suburban sprawl of Houston, wound up facing felony charges after cops said he openly took a 16-year-old female student on a date to a local Olive Garden and carried on a sexual relationship with her. (RELATED: High school teacher impresses 16-year-old sweetheart with a date to Olive Garden)
Police say the relationship between Tate and the unidentified girl also included gifts and was quite a whirlwind of romance.
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