Hazen paraeducator accused of sex crime pleads not guilty

Published 9:14 pm Wednesday, March 25, 2026

The Hazen High School paraeducator who is accused of a sex crime against a student when she was a minor has pleaded not guilty to his charges and remains out of custody on bail.

On March 25 at the Kent Maleng Regional Justice Center, Quan Duc Nguyen, 36, of Tukwila, pleaded not guilty to communication with a minor for immoral purposes and second-degree sexual misconduct with a minor. Nguyen’s charges stem from an allegation from an alleged victim who stated that when she was 16 years old and a student at Hazen High School, Nguyen, who was a paraeducator in the career center, began touching her inappropriately multiple times and communicated inappropriately with her through text message.

Nguyen was arrested at about 5:30 p.m. March 17 by the Renton Police Department. He was then charged by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on March 20.

According to a statement sent to Hazen High families and staff, upon learning of the situation, the district immediately placed Nguyen on administrative leave, and investigations by the Renton School District and Renton Police Department remain ongoing.

“We understand that news of this nature can be troubling,” the Renton School District statement read. “We encourage families to speak with their students about reporting any behavior that makes them uncomfortable or that they believe may be inappropriate, and to remind them to reach out to a trusted adult.”

When the Renton Reporter asked Nguyen if he had a statement for the media, Nguyen’s attorney said that Nguyen would not be making any statements.

In court, a victim advocate read a statement from the alleged victim. The alleged victim said that Nguyen’s actions still affect her to this day, she feels constant anxiety about running into him, and she is deeply concerned for the safety of students.

“That defendant is in a position of high authority as a trusted advisor, and he used that trust against me during the most vulnerable and important years of my life,” the alleged victim’s statement said. “What happened to me has made it incredibly difficult to feel safe and trust others. Especially in environments and interactions that aren’t normal. For these reasons, I respectfully ask that the court consider these concerns and the safety of students when setting or maintaining bail conditions.”

Nguyen remains out of custody on a $20,000 bail.

Renton Police Department detectives are asking anyone with information or who believes they may have been a victim to contact Detective Liberty Billingsley at lbillingsley@rentonwa.gov

Details of the case

According to charging documents, on March 17, an officer was assigned a Child Protective Services referral regarding inappropriate sexual contact between a student at Hazen High School and a paraeducator employee there, who was later identified as Nguyen. When officers spoke to the alleged victim, she identified Nguyen as the person who had sexual contact with her.

Charging documents state that the alleged victim is currently 19 and attends college, but she graduated from Hazen High School in June 2024. She told officers that she met Nguyen because she was looking for a job and he worked at Hazen’s career center.

Documents state that in December 2022, the alleged victim signed up for a class trip to Washington State University, and Nguyen was the point of contact in case there was an emergency, so he had her phone number. Nguyen did not go on the trip, but he kept in contact with her afterward, occasionally texting her to check in.

Later, Nguyen then initiated having the alleged victim as his teacher’s assistant, but the position was unofficial. She then began spending more time at the career center, along with other friends.

Documents state that Nguyen sometimes took her and other friends for food and paid for the food. But the alleged victim said he took the group out four times, while Nguyen took only her out for food on more than 10 occasions. Documents state that Nguyen would drive her home, drop her off about a block down the road, and she would walk the rest of the way home.

Documents state that Nguyen began asking the alleged victim for photos of herself, which then led to inappropriate photos being sent, and he was also speaking with her about sexual topics. Documents state that she teared up while telling officers about the phone communications.

Documents state that when she was 16 years old, Nguyen began to touch her inappropriately at school, and when she was 17, he continued doing so during their after-school trips together.

Documents state that two friends confronted her and told the alleged victim they were uncomfortable with how much time she spent at the career center, but she ignored their concerns. She stated that she did not tell anyone about what occurred with Nguyen until later, when she told a counselor, who advised her to report it.

The alleged victim stated that she felt responsible for what occurred with Nguyen and didn’t fully understand how wrong it was at the time. Documents state that in the summer of 2025, she stopped talking to Nguyen after realizing what was happening was wrong, and she blocked him.

Documents state that officers reviewed the phone number that the alleged victim had associated with Nguyen, and it was the same phone number that law enforcement had belonging to Nguyen.

Documents state that Nguyen is 16 years and 9 months older than the alleged victim.