Teacher accused of sexually abusing 8-year-old girl

NEW YORK

Rafael Sosa, 29, was arraigned Thursday afternoon in Manhattan Criminal Court and was being held on $75,000 bail.

Police say Sosa, who worked at PS 208 in Harlem, repeatedly molested the girl over the last six months while befriending her family, even instructing the girl to send him affectionate emails.

On Friday, New York City Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott met with parents to discuss Sosa's arrest.

Prosecutors allege that Sosa kissed and sexaully assaulted the girl, who told invesigators it happened multiple times at school over the six-month period.

Parents are besides themselves.

"My daughter is in his class," mother Dion Reeves said. "I'm still shocked and dismayed and disgusted. And I have to talk to her and ask her questions. Nobody would have thought this."

Sosa allegedly told the girl to log in to his E-mail account and send him messages saying, "I love you. I miss you. My heart belongs to you."

"It's something that's just intolerable," Walcott said. "And based on the allegations that I've heard about this individual, we don't want this person not just in our school system, but based on those allegations, we don't want this person around children at all."

Sosa's lawyer, Virginia LoPreto, said in court that the married father is eager to prove he is not guilty.

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