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Southern Utah teacher now accused of abusing 4 elementary students in his class and another girl in his home, court documents say

Curtis William Payne is charged with a total of 15 counts of child sex abuse involving five victims.

(Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff's Office) Curtis William Payne

Five alleged victims have now come forward to accuse a St. George teacher of sexually abusing them while they were elementary school students.

Curtis William Payne, 59, of Santa Clara, who was charged last week with three counts of child sex abuse, now faces 12 additional charges filed in 5th District Court on Wednesday.

Payne was accused in court documents filed last week of sexually abusing a former fourth-grade student when she was in his class at Sunset Elementary School in the late ’90s.

On Wednesday, he was charged in four separate court filings on behalf of four more alleged victims with 12 additional counts of first-degree felony aggravated sexual abuse of a child. Each charge comes with an enhancement due to Payne being in a position of special trust, as a teacher or babysitter.

On Feb. 1, St. George police say, a woman contacted them to report being sexually abused while she was a fourth-grade student in Payne’s class during the 2000-01 school year. The woman told police she’d danced with Payne at a school function and while dancing, he moved his hand down and grabbed her buttocks area. The woman said this happened about 10 times during the course of the dance.

Another woman contacted police the same day to report abuse that allegedly occurred in Payne‘s home. The woman said she had been a longtime friend to Payne and his family and spent time at their home over the course of three summers, when she was 10 to 12 years old.

She told police that she would sit next to Payne while watching movies in his basement and he would put a blanket over the two of them. During the first summer, she said, Payne would put his arm around the girl and rub her shoulder and back, eventually moving his hand down the front of her shirt and under her training bra. During the second and third summers, the woman told police, Payne began putting his hand down her shorts and underwear. She said she believes there had been more than 20 separate incidents of abuse over the years.

On Feb. 2, another woman contacted police to report an incident involving her now-14-year-old daughter. The daughter told police in an interview Tuesday that while she was in fourth grade, she approached Payne in class for some assistance. She said that Payne gave her a hug and grabbed her buttocks.

On another occasion outside oschool, Payne was visiting the girl’s neighbor and gave her a hug in front of her house, where he again grabbed her buttocks, she told police.

During her fifth-grade year, the girl said, she’d stayed after class to receive some help with an assignment. Payne had the girl sit on his lap, pulled her close and began massaging her breast area, she told police.

Another woman contacted police Monday to report being abused by Payne, court documents say. She told police the incident occurred while she was a student in his fourth-grade class from 1999-2000. During “movie time,” she said, Payne would turn off the lights in the classroom, sit next to her on a classroom countertop and begin rubbing her back and shoulders. He would then reach his hand down to rub her chest over her clothing, documents say. She told police she remembers the abuse occurring about eight to 10 times during the course of the school year.

Payne posted bail after being arrested last week in connection with the original charges, but he was detained again Tuesday after the additional allegations were reported. Court documents say he invoked his right to remain silent by refusing to answer questions.

He was booked into the Washington County jail and is being held in lieu of $200,000, cash-only bail.

Payne spent the majority of his 32-year career teaching at the elementary school, according to Washington County School District spokesman Steven Dunham, but he began teaching choir classes at Sunrise Ridge Intermediate school in August.

He is currently on administrative leave, Dunham said.

Payne is due in court for an initial appearance for the new charges Thursday. A scheduling hearing in the original case is scheduled for Feb. 26.