Esquivel

A former Marshalltown Community School District teacher who was arrested in June of 2021 on allegations that he interacted inappropriately with a student has pleaded guilty to three counts of third degree harassment, each a simple misdemeanor.

Mark Edward Farris Esquivel, age 27, and his attorney Chad Frese filed a written guilty plea on Friday morning at the Orpheum Theatre. Esquivel had originally been charged with sexual exploitation by a school employee, a Class D felony.

Marshall County Attorney Jordan Gaffney said the plea in the case was reached “at the request and with the consent of the protected party” following pretrial discovery, a review of the admissible evidence and a review of the applicable case law.

Esquivel’s written plea “specifically states and does not admit any sexual element or conversation between Defendant and the other party.” The amended trial information indicates the defendant “did communicate with another by telephone, telegraph, writing, or via electronic communication without legitimate purpose and in a manner likely to cause another annoyance or harm” between April 1, 2021 and June 24, 2021.

A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled. Esquivel will not be required to register as a sex offender.