Markets 
A former Fresno elementary school teacher accused of molesting multiple young students was hit with damning testimony Thursday as two of his former students told a courtroom he allegedly made them sit on his lap before touching them inappropriately during class.
Aaron Butler, 56, appeared in court in civilian clothes and out of custody as prosecutors outlined charges accusing him of lewd and lascivious acts involving five girls over a three-year period.
He faces nine criminal counts tied to alleged conduct that prosecutors say occurred between August 2014 and June 2017.
All of the alleged victims were under the age of 14 at the time.
During a preliminary hearing, two teenage girls who once attended Lane Elementary School in southeast Fresno delivered emotional testimony regarding their experiences in Butler’s classroom.
One student testified that Butler invited her to stay in the classroom during recess to color.
According to her testimony, after the other students had left, she was asked to bring her supplies to his desk and sit on his lap, at which point the alleged inappropriate physical contact occurred.
Another former student described a similar pattern of behavior.
“I felt uncomfortable. I didn’t really know how to react or what to do. I feel like since he did it when he’s teaching no one’s thinking nothing of it. I’m just there, I didn’t really know what to do or what to say,” she said.
The same witness described a separate alleged incident in which she was physically injured, saying Butler picked her up and threw her during school hours.
“It was on a school day, he had picked me up and, like, threw me.”
“He was trying to throw me on top of somebody, and I fell wrong, and I remember I busted my chin open,” she testified.
Butler worked for Fresno Unified for more than 20 years before his employment ended after his arrest at Gibson Elementary School in December 2020.
The case is expected to continue as prosecutors call additional witnesses and present evidence while a judge determines whether it will proceed to trial.
His maximum prison sentence could be up to 150 years, if convicted of all counts.
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