BENTON COUNTY, Wash.-A former teacher in West Richland has been charged with unlawful imprisonment after allegedly locking a student in her classroom and forcing them to pray on April 12.
According to Benton County Superior Court documents, Rosalinda Torres, a former teacher at Leona Libby Middle School locked her classroom door with a 14-year-old male student inside and forced him to pray with her for about 90 minutes.
On April, 11, the day before the incident, Torres emailed the student’s mother and said he had been disrespectful to her and cheered when she said she wasn’t feeling well and may have to miss the next day.
Torres reportedly told the student’s mother that he had apologized, but that she didn’t believe he was sincere and felt he should do more.
On April 12 the student stayed after class to apologize again to Torres, at which time she locked the door leading from the classroom to the hallway and said he could not leave until they prayed, according to court documents.
The student allegedly told Torres that he was not religious and she responded by calling him “Satanas,” which means Satan in Spanish.
Over the next 90 minutes Torres made the student recite a prayer in Spanish, would not let him leave the room or call his mother and ordered him to the back of the classroom, saying “Get away from me Satan,” according to probable cause documents.
The student ended up missing lunch and his fifth period class while locked in the classroom.
When it was time for the next class the Vice Principal unlocked the door from the outside and found Torres and the student in the room.
Torres was placed on administrative leave after the incident on April 12. and is scheduled to be arraigned on the unlawful imprisonment charge on Oct. 31.
