Teacher charged with sexual assault

Fifty-nine-year-old Robert Keith Bryan, a teacher at Gerald Ford Elementary School in Indian Wells, was arrested Wednesday morning at his home in Palm Desert.

He was charged with four counts of lewd acts on a child under 14, andseven counts of annoying/molesting children. One mom who has kids in a nearby elementary school says this is a parent’s worst nightmare.

“You want to feel comfortable that the people there are trustworthy and have your child’s best interest at heart and not going to do anything to harm a child,” Taili Songroth said.

In July, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department began investigation into allegations of sexual assault on a fourth grade girl at Gerald Ford Elementary. That investigation led to Bryan’s arrest.

“It’s a tragedy. It’s going to affect that girl’s life for the rest of her life,” Songroth said.

The investigation revealed there are other victims as well. Bryan was booked into the jail in Indio on $220,000 bail.