A teacher was arrested in San Jose last week on suspicion of annoying or molesting a student at a public charter school, police said Monday.
Police were called to ACE Empower Academy, which hosts students from fifth to eighth grade, on South Sunset Avenue on Dec. 13, 2023, for a report of an adult man annoying or molesting a minor.
Investigators from the department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force found that a 28-year-old teacher had been exchanging inappropriate handwritten and electronic communications with a student. It was not immediately clear if the student was enrolled in the teacher’s class.
After his arrest March 20, the suspect was booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of annoying or molesting a minor.
Kennedy Hilario, CEO of ACE Empower Academy, said that the student was not physically harmed. He said the school had contacted appropriate authories immediately after the messages were reported; the teacher was placed on administrative leave the same day.
The teacher, who had worked at the school for four years, then resigned on Jan. 10, Hilario said.
Anyone with information about this case or a similar case is asked to contact Detective Camarillo #4576 of the San José Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force at [email protected] or 408-273-2959.