Gym instructor in Tippecanoe County detained and charged with assaulting female students

West Lafayette, Indiana – After being physically inappropriate with numerous female students, a former gym instructor at a middle school in Tippecanoe County is now being charged with criminal violence, according to the police.

After a lengthy inquiry into his activities, Peter Anders, 45, was arrested on July 26.

According to court documents, the inquiry started in November 2022 when police looked into a battery report that occurred on October 25, 2022. During that investigation, detectives discovered that Anders is accused of hitting a female student in the buttocks with a shoe.

The female student was interviewed by the investigators, along with other students and staff members who had witnessed Anders acting inappropriately.

According to the documents, the students told the police they spoke with that Anders had been treated improperly starting in the fall of 2021 and continuing through the period of the investigation.

According to court records, Anders would “poke,” “tickle,” and “put his arms around” a number of female students in questionable locations during that time.

Aside from calling the pupils “babe” and “baby,” Anders allegedly “pulled up (students’) shirts” as they ran on the track, according to the investigators.

Investigators spoke with school staff members, whose testimony supported the youngsters’ claims. A paraprofessional at the school said that she saw Anders take up a pair of tennis shoes and smack a kid in the buttocks while she was in the gym.

Additionally, detectives were able to get security footage and a student’s video that showed Anders striking the first female student with a shoe.

In court papers, Anders is quoted as having “denied touching any students’ buttocks.”

With a $2,000 cash bond, Anders is being held at the Tippecanoe County jail. On December 4, a jury trial is scheduled.