Gilbert Police Arrest Former Higley High School Teacher

On June 16, 2022, the Gilbert Police Department arrested 35-year-old Aaron Dunton following an investigation that was initiated on April 14, 2022.

The case originated from an allegation at Higley High School that a teacher, Dunton, was engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old student. After discovery of this relationship, Dunton resigned from his position at the school and an email containing basic details was disseminated to parents by the district.

This investigation led to the discovery of another victim, who made allegations against Dunton for incidents that occurred in 2019 at Power Ranch Elementary when the victim was 11 years old. Dunton was the victim’s teacher at the time of these allegations. After investigating both sets of allegations, Dunton was arrested and will be booked into the custody of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for four counts of Aggravated Assault, one count of Tampering with a Witness, and two counts of Contributing to Delinquency and Dependency.


The Gilbert Police Department is seeking to identify additional potential victims or witnesses. Anybody with pertinent information is encouraged to contact the Gilbert Police Department at 480-503-6500.