Sex charge withdrawn against former Washington teachers’ aide
Tracy Ardeno, the former Washington High School teachers’ aide accused of having sex with a student in her car at Washington Cemetery, smiled moments after prosecutors withdrew a felony sex charge against her when the young man failed to appear to testify Monday.
The Washington County district attorney’s office was forced to drop the single charge of institutional sex assault against Ardeno, 45, of Washington, after the 20-year-old student, the only witness, left the school district more than a month ago and could not be located.
Ardeno and her attorney, John Bitonti, declined comment as they left District Judge Robert Redlinger’s office in Washington following her scheduled 2 p.m. hearing.
Ardeno was free on unsecured bond since city police charged her Jan. 9. She was fired from her job by the school board two weeks later.
Washington police could refile the charge if the former student can be located and compelled to testify, although subpoenas to his previous city address could not be delivered to him.
Washington School District Superintendent Roberta DiLorenzo said the student left the district more than a month ago and did not graduate. She did not think the charge being dropped would change Ardeno’s employment status. The school board voted unanimously to terminate her at its Jan. 26 meeting.
“We’ll continue with our (employment) procedures,” DiLorenzo said. “The employment and termination procedures differ from criminal actions. We’ll work through them with the (union) association for the support staff.”
City police began investigating Ardeno, a school district employee for 13 years, after a teacher reportedly saw her picking up the student at a Jefferson Avenue restaurant parking lot directly across from the high school Dec. 3. Police accused Ardeno of having sex with the student inside her car at Washington Cemetery on one occasion in early December.
Police interviewed the student, investigators said, who allegedly told them they had sex once.
Investigators reviewed surveillance videos at the school and said Ardeno began talking to the student at the high school in late November. Police previously said no physical contact occurred at the building.