Ex-State High teacher gets prison time for inappropriately touching student
A former State College Area High School teacher was sentenced Tuesday to at least 18 months in state prison for inappropriately touching a student and asking her sexually explicit questions in his classroom.
Cesar J. Caceres Tello, 45, was sentenced by Centre County Judge Katie Oliver to a maximum of four years in prison. The former Spanish teacher was led away from the Centre County Courthouse in handcuffs to begin serving his sentence.
He must register as a sex offender for 25 years and faces the possibility of being deported to Guatemala. Defense lawyer Michael J. Diamondstein suggested during the hearing that Caceres Tello is weighing an appeal.
His sentencing came five months after he was convicted by a Centre County jury of all charges at the end of three-day trial. Six men and six women found him guilty of a felony count of unlawful contact with a minor and misdemeanor counts of corruption of a minor and indecent assault of someone younger than 16.
Centre County Assistant District Attorney Julia Lockman told the judge Caceres Tello engaged in a calculated, predatory abuse of trust to take advantage of a 15-year-old sophomore who was struggling socially.
“He encouraged the victim to trust him, to confide in him, and to believe he was looking out for her interests,” Lockman wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “But instead of protecting her or reporting what she disclosed, (Caceres Tello) exploited that trust and became the source of the abuse himself.”
The teen told investigators Caceres Tello closed the classroom door before she could leave for lunch in December 2022, sat uncomfortably close and asked her sexually explicit questions while they were alone. She also said he rubbed her back and bare thigh, ran his fingers through her hair and wiped a tear from her face.
She testified she was “really freaked out” and hesitant to tell anyone what happened. She described feeling “awful” and “disgusting” as he touched her and told jurors she didn’t immediately leave for lunch because she had “a lot of issues” in the school, including bullying.
She and her parents declined an opportunity to speak Tuesday before the sentence was handed down. She ultimately completed online school despite a lack of reliable internet access.
“She’s shown incredible resilience, strength and courage,” Lockman said.
Surveillance footage played during the trial showed Caceres Tello abandon his classroom to look for the teen after she hid in a restroom. When she went to her next class, social studies teacher Trevor Dietz testified she was “very upset and teary-eyed.” Caceres Tello then interrupted the class to speak with her in the hallway, which Dietz said was unusual and made her more upset.
The crime took place shortly before the district’s winter break and after Caceres Tello had already tendered his resignation. Lockman painted him as an opportunist who capitalized on one of his last chances to be with a student he’d been pining over.
He was placed on administrative leave immediately after the student reported the allegations, the State College Area School District wrote in a statement after he was charged in June 2024.
In a written statement shared Tuesday with the Centre Daily Times, the district said it hopes the sentencing “brings some closure and peace to the victim and their family.”
“As we have said, student safety is our highest priority. Nothing is more critical than the trust of our students, employees, and community at-large,” the district said. “Any infringement on that relationship is heartbreaking, and we will always do everything we can to try and repair harm in cases such as this. Behavior of this nature violates our core values and will never be tolerated.”
Caceres Tello declined an opportunity to speak before learning his sentence.
When asked during the trial if he inappropriately touched the teen or asked her sexually explicit questions, Caceres testified “No.” He told the jury she was upset after he told her he would have to report statements she disclosed to him.
He further testified he looked for her in the restroom because he told her they would report her disclosure together.
“I needed someone else to help her,” Caceres testified.
The sentence he received was largely in line with the two to four years Centre County prosecutors sought. Diamondstein argued for no jail or prison time.
He pointed to letters from Caceres Tello’s family and friends that described him as patient, kind, hardworking and caring. A doctor’s analysis found Caceres Tello — a married father of two sons and a daughter — is unlikely to reoffend.
Diamondstein further described the unlawful contact as a “momentary lapse of reason.” He had no prior criminal record. The state Department of Education suspended Caceres Tello’s teaching certificate in December 2024.
He apologized to his family and appeared teary-eyed before being led out of the courtroom. He has 30 days to decide whether to appeal.