A former Austin-area elementary school teacher was sentenced to life in prison Oct. 16 for continuously sexually abusing children, including some former students in Austin.
Andrew Palmore, 53, a former teacher at Blanco Vista Elementary School in Kyle and Casey Elementary School in Austin, was convicted by a Hays County jury of continuous sexual abuse of children and sentenced to life in prison — the maximum punishment allowed by law. He will not be eligible for parole, according to the Hays County District Attorney’s Office.
Kyle police began investigating Palmore in February 2022 after a child reported being abused. Although that child was not one of Palmore’s students, Detective Pedro Carrasco Jr. interviewed Palmore, who admitted to abusing three children, prosecutors said. The detective also uncovered a prior San Marcos Police Department investigation into Palmore.
Further investigation revealed additional victims, including former Casey Elementary students Palmore taught in the 2000s. In total, six children and two adult women testified at his trial, describing abuse that prosecutors said showed how Palmore used his position as a teacher to gain access to victims and the trust of their parents.
“It is impossible to know the true extent of Palmore’s sexual abuse, which spanned more than two decades,” Hays County District Attorney Kelly Higgins said in a statement.
Assistant District Attorneys Daniella Garcia and Elizabeth Schmidt prosecuted the case, noting that Carrasco’s investigation uncovered victims spanning Palmore’s two-decade teaching career, and that the survivors’ testimony was critical to securing the conviction. Schmidt said the life sentence ensures Palmore will never harm another child, calling it a major step toward protecting Hays County’s most vulnerable residents.