A Los Angeles high school teacher caught up in the child pornography case against a former Redlands planning commissioner allegedly sent suggestive photos taken of girls on campus and asked the commissioner for pornographic images in return that fit the same look, according to a search warrant affidavit.
Rene Gregorio Estrella, a now-banned teacher at the School of Business and Tourism at Miguel Contreras Learning Complex near downtown Los Angeles, was arrested Oct. 18 based on data collected from the cellphone of Steven Frasher, who resigned from the Redlands Planning Commission two days after his arrest Oct. 3.
Estrella also is identified as “Greg” in the affidavit, as that was the name that appeared in Frasher’s phone contacts when San Bernardino police scrubbed it for evidence, according to the affidavit obtained by the Southern California News Group.
The affidavit alleges the two men “exchanged multiple photos of adult and child pornography,” and cites a conversation they had consisting of several text messages.
“Frasher sent ‘Greg’ images of child pornography based off of what he considered attractive. ‘Greg’ sent multiple images of child pornography based off what Frasher found attractive,” the affidavit states. “The images of child pornography depicted pubescent children.”
Photos sent of students
Additionally, the affidavit alleges, Estrella would take pictures of students at Miguel Contreras as they were bending over so he could see down their shirts without their knowledge. He sent several of the photos to Frasher, and the two would discuss what the girls were wearing and how “sexy” they were.
“Estella would tell Frasher he wanted more pictures to look like the girls at school,” the affidavit states. As a result, police believe Frasher supplied Estrella with child pornography tailored to his liking.
San Bernardino police booked both men on suspicion possessing child pornography. They subsequently posted bail and were released. Neither has been criminally charged as police have not yet submitted the case to the District Attorney’s Office for review.
“It’s still under investigation and we are pursuing all avenues,” said San Bernardino police Capt. Nelson Carrington, who declined to comment on whether other arrests are expected or if the investigation has led to educators at any other schools.
Carrington also said he could not comment on the relationship between Frasher, 62, and Estrella, 60, or how the two met.
Estrella responds
Reached by telephone, Estrella denied the allegations.
“It’s completely false — 100 percent. It’s nothing like that,” the Claremont resident said before deferring further comment to his Rancho Cucamonga attorney, Kirk Tarman. Tarman did not respond to requests for comment via email and telephone.
On the day Estrella was taken into custody, Lt. Nina Buranasombati of the Los Angeles School Police Department sent a statement to the “school community” saying “an employee” of the Business and Tourism Academy High School at Miguel Contreras had been arrested and that the district had “prohibited the employee from coming onto any of its sites.”
Officials at Los Angeles Unified would not say whether Estrella is on paid or unpaid leave.
Cyber tip led to arrest
Frasher’s arrest resulted from a cyber tip fielded by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and turned over to the Los Angeles Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, of which the San Bernardino Police Department is an affiliate.
The search warrant explained that, under federal law, all electronic service providers must immediately report the online posting of child pornography to the NCMEC, which then reports the tips to law enforcement agencies for investigation.
The crimes against children task force sent the tip to the San Bernardino Police Department, including the pornographic images allegedly intercepted from Frasher’s electronic network. Police investigators subsequently obtained a search warrant for Frasher’s home in Redlands.
Child pornography allegedly was found at Frasher’s home during the Oct. 3 police search. The following day, investigators obtained a warrant to search his cellphone, where they discovered the text communication with Estrella.
Frasher history
Frasher, who unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the Redlands City Council in 2015, also worked as a public information officer for the Glendale Unified School District from August 2011 to July 2012.
Glendale Unified spokesperson Kristine Nam said that as a PIO, Frasher would not have been in close contact with children. And given that he was employed with the district more than a decade ago, district officials did not feel a need to notify parents of his arrest and prior employment.
“We did not send a specific message from the district; however, the arrest has been covered extensively in the Glendale media,” Nam said.
Frasher also was a spokesman for former Riverside Police Chief Russ Leach and an assistant to the mayor for two years before that.
Frasher’s San Bernardino attorney, Mike Scafiddi, said in a telephone interview on Friday, Oct. 27, that he has yet to receive any evidence from police and therefore could not comment on the case.
“We look forward to the entire process and litigating this in the courts,” Scafiddi said.
But Scafiddi did note Frasher’s extensive career in public service.
“Steve Frasher, for his entire professional life, served the public good, including volunteer work with the city of Redlands, on the city planning commission, and as a public information officer providing information to the public that only did the public good,” Scafiddi said.