Crime & Safety

LA Schools Knew Newport Teacher Was Abusing Children, Attorney Claims

A Newport Beach man accused of molesting his elementary school students in Wilmington had been reported to school officials well before he was removed from the school, said an attorney representing parents.

Los Angeles Unified School District officials knew as early as 2009 about allegations of sexual misconduct by a Newport Beach man who taught at George De La Torre Jr. Elementary School teacher and was arrested earlier this year, an attorney alleged today, but a district lawyer said allegations were "promptly" reported to authorities.

Attorney Luis Carrillo represents the families of at least three students who contend they were victimized by Robert Pimentel, who was arrested in January and charged with eight counts of continuous sexual abuse and seven counts of lewd acts upon a child, for alleged assaults of 12 children under age 14.

Police have said he is suspected of assaulting as many as 20 children and one adult.

Find out what's happening in Newport Beach-Corona Del Marwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At a news conference, Carrillo pointed to a 2009 document purported to be an internal LAUSD report on a parent protest sparked by allegations that Pimentel "has been known to touch female students inappropriately." The report describes allegations made by a parent at the protest and accusations that Pimentel was being protected by the school's principal because they were friends.

Carrillo said the district never contacted police, and "Pimentel continued his molestation."

Find out what's happening in Newport Beach-Corona Del Marwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Both Pimentel, 57, and the principal resigned last year.

David Holmquist, an attorney for the LAUSD, said the district takes "all allegations of misconduct seriously."

"Although we must protect the confidentiality promised to parents as part of the 2009 mediation, we can say with certainty that any allegations of misconduct were promptly reported to the appropriate authorities," Holmquist said.

Holmquist said that when Superintendent John Deasy received additional information in the case in February, he turned it over to the Los Angeles Police Department.

"The school district also launched its own administrative investigation by an outside agency into the handling of this matter," Holmquist said. "As is standard practice, the school district has placed four administrators on leave pending the conclusion of the investigation. Dr. Deasy will review the findings of that investigation and take all appropriate action."

In April, the district suspended Linda Del Cueto, instructional leader for the North Educational Service Center; Michael Romero, who oversees the district's Adult Education Division; Gulf Elementary Principal David Kooper; and Los Angeles Elementary Principal Valerie Moses.

- City News Service


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