Palm Springs High School teacher will face additional molestation charges

A Palm Springs High School teacher accused of molesting atleast one male student pleaded not guilty today to sodomy and other sexualoffenses and was ordered into custody.

Ronald Steven Bishop was initially charged Wednesday with four counts,and prosecutors today added five more charges against the 41-year-old Indioresident.

He now faces two counts of sodomy, one count each of oral copulationwith a child under 16, unlawful bodily injury/sexual penetration by means offorce, committing a lewd act on a child under 16, contacting a minor withintent to commit crimes and bringing child pornography into the state — allfelonies — plus one misdemeanor count each of molesting a child under 18 andpossession of material showing minors in sex acts.

Bishop, who had been free on a $150,000 bond, had his bail increased to$1 million by Riverside County Superior Court Judge Ronald L. Johnson. He isdue back in court on April 19 for a felony settlement conference.

Bishop was taken into custody Jan. 17 in the school parking lot at 2401E. Baristo Road. Police had received a report a few days earlier about a”child annoyance” claim involving a 15-year-old boy, and learned the suspectwas one of the teen’s teachers at the school, Palm Springs police Sgt. MikeKovaleff said.

“(Police) learned that Bishop was suspected of communicating via textmessaging with the 15-year-old victim over a period of nearly two months,”Kovaleff said. “The text messaging included harmful matter that Bishop issuspected of sending in an attempt to seduce the minor.”

According to an affidavit attached to a search warrant for Bishop’shome, the boy was having problems with his parents’ divorce and Bishop told theteen he could talk to him about it. They began communicating through Facebookand text messages, and Bishop allegedly sent him messages about topicsincluding masturbation.

Bishop also allegedly invited the boy to his house — he never went –offered him rides and gave him a PlayStation game. The boy maintained that theonly physical contact he had with Bishop was a hug, according to the affidavit.

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office did not immediatelyrespond to queries regarding the case, including whether the sexual contactcharges involved the 15-year-old student or whether additional alleged victimshad been located.

Palm Springs Unified School District spokeswoman Joan Boiko said Bishopwas placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of theinvestigation. He had taught language arts at Palm Springs High since 2006 andat Nellie N. Coffman Middle School in Cathedral City from 2004 to 2006, shesaid.