Former elementary school janitor arrested a third time for alleged sexual abuse of a child

SPANISH FORK, Utah (ABC4) — A former elementary school janitor has been arrested after a fourth victim came forward about sexual abuse while the man was employed at two schools in Utah County during the late 2010s.

Adrian Villar, 67, of Santaquin, has been arrested and faces possible charges of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and one count of obstruction of justice.

According to documents, a now-teenage victim came forward about sexual abuse allegedly committed by Villar while the victim was attending Sierra Bonita Elementary School in Spanish Fork several years ago, where the 67-year-old formerly worked.

The victim told police that Villar had asked him to come into a bathroom that was labelled out of order and help him clean up a mess. When the victim went inside, Villar allegedly sexually abused the child.

Following the sexual assault, the victim stated that Villar “threatened to kill the victim’s parents” if he told anyone what happened, and looked “angry.” The victim felt “terrified” and anxious about seeing Villar again.

Villar was previously arrested and charged in 2018 for the alleged sexual abuse of two children attending Sierra Bonita Elementary School. He is facing two charges of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and one charge of lewdness involving a child.

According to documents, the two young boys were attending the special needs program at the school when the assault happened. The two children, ages 8 and 11 at the time of his 2018 arrest, told police that he had taken them to secluded areas to sexually assault them and told them to keep it a secret.

In December 2023, while on pretrial release for his 2018 case, Villar was arrested by the Santaquin Police Department after a victim told police that she had been sexually abused by the former janitor during the 2017-2018 school year at Santaquin Elementary School.

The female victim told police that she had been forced into a closet and sexually assaulted by the janitor. After that abuse, he allegedly threatened to “hurt her or anyone she loved if she told anyone about what he was doing.”

Villar was on pretrial release before his arrest on Friday, pending a trial in August. He is now being held without bail at the Utah County Jail. Charges have not been officially filed as of July 28.

Adrian Villar is no longer employed by Nebo School District. Our hearts go out to the victim for all they experienced. Nebo School District is committed to providing a safe and supportive learning environment for all students. We believe that every student deserves to feel safe and respected at school. We want to make it clear that inappropriate behavior, including sexual misconduct and harassment by students or staff, is not tolerated. Nebo School District currently has and has had for many years policies and trainings that address student and employee misconduct, including sexual misconduct and harassment, and that we are continually improving and refining our policies and trainings.  We remain unwavering in our mission to create a safe and supportive environment for students in our district.
Nebo School District’s 2023 statement on Adrian Villar