01:25 PM PDT on Saturday, May 27, 2006

By KRISTINA BRENNEMAN and ANTONIA GIEDWOYN, kgw.com Staff

GRESHAM -- A teachers' aide at a Portland charter school, who served 10 years for murder, was arrested last week for rape and sodomy of a 15-year-old female student, police said.

kgw.com/Gresham Police Dept.

Daniel Alcazar is accused of raping a 15-year-old student.

Daniel Alcazar, 27, who has worked at The Academy of Alternatives School since December 2005, was arrested May 18.

The Southeast Portland resident is being held without bail at the Justice Center for violating his probation while a grand jury considers third-degree rape and third-degree sodomy charges against him, said Sgt. Teddi Lofton, a spokeswoman for the Gresham Police Department.

If convicted, Alcazar faces five years in prison and a $125,000 fine for each count, both class C felonies. He was released in October 2005 after serving 10 years in prison for murder.

The school's principal, Jay Scalise, said he had been having a regularly scheduled conference with the girl and her parents when the student mentioned that she'd been dating the teachers' aide but they'd broken up.

Scalise left the meeting and immediately fired Alcazar.

"I took his keys and threw him out of the building," Scalise said. He then called police and the Department of Human Services.

The alleged incident involving the student occurred sometime between January 15 and February 15, according to police. The student said she had a consensual relationship with Alcazar.

The Academy of Alternatives School, which serves special education students and those students with academic and social challenges, has a rule that forbids students from being alone with a teacher at any time, Scalise said.