DECEMBER 16 UPDATE:

Taji Hillson, a former elementary school employee accused of sexually assaulting a child, appeared in court on Tuesday.

She appeared for a mandatory status conference.

She is facing charges for sexual assault and lewdness with a child under the age of 14.

Police arrested Hillson in July.

She is due back in court for a bail hearing on January 27.

JULY 10, 2025 (3:30 P.M.):

Taji Hillson was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, July 22, but a continuance was requested.

Hillson is now scheduled to appear next on September 2, 2025, in front of Judge David Clifton.

Criminal charges have officially been filed against former Washoe County School District employee Taji Hillson in the sexual assault case against her.

She faces one count of sexual assault against a child under the age of 14, one count of sexual assault, and three counts of lewdness with a child under the age of 14, according to a release from the Washoe County District Attorney's Office.

“The filing of these charges represents my unwavering commitment to protecting children in our community and to aggressively pursuing and incarcerating those who commit sexual crimes against them,” said District Attorney Chris Hicks in a statement. “The allegations in this case are deeply disturbing, and are currently involving two victims, one of whom is a toddler. I commend the extraordinary courage of the adult victim who came forward to report this abuse; a brave act that has allowed us to seek justice and protect others from harm.”

Hillson’s bail was set at $5 million with no 10% cash option. She is to have no contact with the victim, and if bail is posted, she will be confined to her home with GPS monitoring.

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JULY 10, 2025 (11:18 A.M.):

An area elementary school employee accused of child sexual assault 20 years ago is expected to appear in court later this month after she waived her right to an arraignment on Thursday. 

62-year-old Taji Hillson did not appear in court herself instead using a public defender to represent her which prosecutors objected to. The judge then set a July 22nd to discuss appointment of a new lawyer.

Last week, a judge set her bail at $5 million with no 10% cash option.

JULY 3, 2025:

On Wednesday, Reno Police arrested an area elementary school employee for allegedly sexually assaulting a child under the age of 10 around 20 years ago.

62-year-old, Taji Hillson had her first court appearance on Thursday.

It was a bail hearing, and the judge set her bail at $5 million with no 10% cash option. Her next court date is scheduled for July 10.

She's facing charges of Sexual Assault against a Child Under 14-years-old, and Sexual Assault and Lewdness by Person over 18-years-old with a Child Less than 14-years-old.

2 News Nevada obtained the probable cause documents for her arrest.

We want to let you know what we are about to share with you is quite disturbing.

The documents reveal that it was someone in her family who Hillson was allegedly assaulting.

According to the arresting officer, on April 30, the victim in the case, a woman, went to the Reno Police station to file a sexual assault report.

The victim provided text messages to officers, where Taji Hillson allegedly admitted to drugging and touching her inappropriately.

The documents claim Hillson to be a PE teacher at Roy Gomm Elementary School. The Washoe County School District shared with us that she was a substitute employee who started working there in 2022.

Since she's a substitute, she's an at-will employee and not on a contract, so her employment ended on June 13. Since she was arrested, she is not eligible for re-employment.

Detectives with the Reno Police Sex Crimes Unit started the investigation into Hillson in May.

On June 25, the police brought in Hillson for questioning. The lead detective said in the documents, "I explained to the defendant that the door was unlocked, and she did not have to speak with me and was free to leave at any time."

Hillson supposedly admitted to sneaking Benadryl into the victim's food and then touching her when she was sleeping.

Hillson told police she did this throughout the victim's childhood, but most frequently from ages six to 12. The documents indicate Hillson doing the same when the victim was an adult when she finished college.

The probable cause papers say that Hillson confessed to touching at least a dozen other children that were mainly family in North Carolina. She also allegedly said she touched a two-year-old boy in the last few years. It's unclear in the documents whether that was here in Reno or in North Carolina.

On July 1, the victim said that Hillson placed an apology letter in her mailbox.

In that letter allegedly Hillson admitted to giving the victim two to three times the recommended dosage of Benadryl to "control" the victim.

The documents end by saying that all crimes were committed secretly and only recently came to light.

Reno Police Chief, Kathryn Nance, says that parents should be having the uncomfortable conversations with their children.

"So, I think it's opening the lines of communication, creating a safe space for that child to come forward if something happens and then taking those accusations and the things the child says seriously," the Chief said.

Reno Police say they don't believe there are any victims at Roy Gomm Elementary School at this time.

"We are currently evaluating what other allegations might have been made against that person in other jurisdictions or maybe locally to ensure that we do have that complete picture," Chief Nance said.

RPD says if you have any other information or believe you or anyone else may have been a victim to call their non-emergency line 775-334-2677 or contact Secret Witness by calling or texting a tip to 775-322-4900.