Arizona Teacher Accused of Urinating in Can in Front of Elementary School Students in Class: Police

The Phoenix Police Department tells PEOPLE that officers reported to Wilson Elementary School on March 18 in response to a call from the school principal about a teacher allegedly exposing himself to students.

Once officers arrived on the scene, they were informed by Principal Maliki Wojcicki that three sixth-grade students had come to his office and reported witnessing their teacher urinating into a can during class the previous day, according to an arrest report filed by officers in Maricopa County Superior Court and obtained by PEOPLE.

Those three students then met with police and said that after hearing what sounded like “falling water” during class, they looked around for the source of the noise and discovered it was coming from the front of the classroom, according to the report.

All three students alleged to police that they then watched as 52-year-old Curt Hinton urinated into a container under his desk, according to the report.

The report also notes that all three of those students claimed they could see Hinton’s genitals as he urinated into the container.

Officers then interviewed a fourth student from the class who claimed she, too, witnessed Hinton urinating into a container at his desk, says the report.

Police visited the classroom where the alleged incident took place and noted that the teacher’s desk was “not enclosed,” meaning it would be possible for the students to have witnessed their teacher urinating in class.

After speaking with the students, police questioned Hinton about the incident.

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The educator allegedly admitted to officers that he had been teaching at Wilson Elementary School on March 17 and did, in fact, urinate into a container while in the classroom, according to the report.

Hinton allegedly told police that he needed to urinate but couldn’t get in contact with another teacher to cover his classroom because he didn’t know any other educators at the school, according to the arrest report.

He allegedly went on to tell police that he decided his best option in that moment was to discreetly urinate into a can — like he did during his time in the military, when he could not move from a location.

Hinton noted, however, that he had covered himself with his hand and did not believe any of the students in the classroom had been able to see, the arrest report alleges.

Police charged Hinton with four counts of indecent exposure. He later appeared before a judge in Maricopa County Superior Court and was given a $10,000 secured appearance bond, according to court records.

Hinton, who is an English Language Development Educator, according to his LinkedIn profile, was placed on administrative leave according to a statement from a school spokesperson.

That statement also noted that the school was cooperating with police and then detailed the bathroom policy for teachers.

“Wilson Elementary School District prioritizes the safety and supervision of students at all times. While there is no specific policy solely addressing teacher restroom use, it is standard practice for teachers to ensure appropriate coverage for their classrooms when they need to step away briefly,” the statement reads, in part. “This typically involves coordinating with a neighboring teacher, instructional aide, or school administrator to ensure students remain supervised.”

On Monday evening, the school spokesperson said that Hinton had resigned.