By Courtney Dentch
A Hollis grandfather who runs a driving instruction school on Hillside Avenue was arrested and charged last week with molesting one of his female students in Valley Stream, L.I., a spokesman for the Nassau County district attorney said.
Genaro Figueroa, 65, who lives at 88-21 187th St., just around the corner from his Autoline Driving School, was accused of fondling a 17-year-old girl on her thigh and breasts during a driving lesson in Valley Stream Sept. 13, said Nassau DA spokesman Rick Henshaw.
The girl, who was driving the car, stopped the vehicle and ran off. She reported the attack to her parents, who called the police.
Figueroa was arrested April 30, but it was unclear why authorities waited several months between the alleged assault and his arrest.
He was charged with sexual abuse, a felony charge, and he pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Nassau County First District Court in Hempstead last Thursday. If convicted, he could face seven years in prison, Henshaw said.
