LEXINGTON, S.C. – A former elementary school teacher has been extradited from Ecuador to Lexington County on charges of sexual contact with a minor
Hianlucas Isturiz Rodriguez, 42, engaged in sexual battery with a Red Bank Elementary School student multiple times while on duty at the school in 2016 and 2017, according to arrest warrants. Isturiz, known by students and parents as “Señor Isturiz,” is charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
“Right after we obtained arrest warrants for Isturiz and shared this case with the public, we received a tip that he had fled the country,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said. “We immediately reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for assistance in locating Isturiz and bringing him back to Lexington County.”
Isturiz arrived in Lexington County Thursday. He was being held in Ecuador awaiting extradition after he was arrested this summer, according to Koon.
“He’s back in the country and facing these charges thanks to the hard work of a number of FBI agents,” Koon said. “They, along with the U.S. Marshals Service and the Columbia Metropolitan Airport’s Public Safety Department, provided valuable assistance to us on this case, which will remain open while detectives continue their investigation. This is an example of why we work so hard to maintain strong relationships with our federal law enforcement partners.”
Isturiz is being held in the Lexington County Detention Center while he awaits a bond hearing scheduled for Friday.