Aldine ISD teacher arrested for child sex assault 2 years after warrant was issued: court records

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A teacher from Aldine ISD has been released on bond after being arrested on charges of child sexual assault, according to court records.

Aldine ISD says Derrick Banks, 39, is an agriculture teacher at Eisenhower High School.

Court records show he had two warrants for the first-degree felony offense of aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of 14 for the past two years.

He was arrested at the end of October. However, court documents show it took two years for police to arrest him after the warrant was issued in October 2023.

Court documents state the investigation began in 2021. They allege Banks met a 13-year-old boy through an app and sexually abused him.

Documents also show the boy snuck out to meet up with Banks, but instead of the agreed upon hotel, says he took him to Sugar Land in the middle of nowhere country and blindfolded him before taking him into his home.

Investigators say that at the time, Banks worked for Prairie View A&M University.

Aldine ISD confirmed that Banks was employed in the district after his arrest.

The district told ABC13 it hired Banks as the agriculture teacher at Eisenhower High School in August 2023, before the warrant was issued. They said he passed all hiring protocols, including a criminal background check.

They say they were not notified by the Harris County District Attorney's office or HPD that Banks had a warrant for his arrest.

The district says Banks has been placed on administrative leave.

ABC13 asked retired Houston Police Department Captain Greg Fremin about the case.

"I have serious concerns about that, and I would have to ask questions as to why that warrant stood idle for two years," said Fremin.

Fremin said it is unusual for arrests like this to take so long, especially when educators are involved.

"Did investigators leave and hand off these cases to other people, was there miscommunication, I don't know, but obviously things happen, and I'm sure it was done in good faith, nothing ill-intended but still it happened and someone could have suffered and got hurt in the process and we're just grateful and hopeful that did not happen," said Fremin.

Aldine ISD did not respond to questions about yearly background checks but confirmed that Banks is now on administrative leave.

The TEA website shows that Banks' educator certificate was revoked in 2016.

ABC13 asked Aldine ISD why Banks was hired even though his teaching certificate had been revoked. The district has not yet responded.

ABC13 also contacted the Houston Police Department, but has not received a response.

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