Teacher At Morgan Hill Grade School Arrested For Allegedly Molesting Student
MORGAN HILL (CBS SF) -- A Morgan Hill elementary school teacher has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a female student, police said.
Police said officers arrested 52-year-old John Loyd, a fifth-grade teacher at Paradise Valley Elementary School, at his home in Hollister on Thursday evening after receiving a report of the sexual assaults.
Police said Loyd allegedly sexually assaulted the girl on multiple occasions inside his classroom on the campus at 1400 La Crosse Drive during school hours.
He was arrested on suspicion of several crimes including lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, annoying or molesting a child and preventing or dissuading a victim or witness and taken to county jail in San Jose.
Investigators are looking into the possibility that Loyd molested other children and a letter went home to parents and guardians in the Morgan Hill Unified School District today informing them of the arrest.
In the letter, school district Superintendent Steve Betando said Loyd was immediately placed on administrative leave after district administrators were informed of the reported sexual assaults.
"Our teachers, counselors and administrators continue to insist that our students report any misconduct by district employees or anyone else," Betando wrote.
"We take reports of inappropriate behavior very seriously and all reports will be thoroughly investigated," he said.
School officials were not immediately available for further comment on the case.
Parents are being asked to talk to their children to determine if they have any information about inappropriate interactions between Loyd and themselves or other students. Parents who believe their children may have had inappropriate contact with Loyd are asked to call Morgan Hill police
Detective Mindy Zen at (408) 779-2101 before going into a detailed interview with their child.
Anyone with information about the case may call either Detective Zen or leave a tip by calling the police department's anonymous tip line at (408) 947-STOP. Any parents with questions or concerns are encouraged to call the school district office at (408) 201-6015.
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