Desert Mirage HS teacher pleads not guilty to child sexual assault charges

It is disturbing news for the entire Coachella Valley community. A popular high school teacher has been arrested and charged with child molestation.

59-year-old Robert Anthony Korwin, also known as Tony, or Mr. Korwin to students at Desert Mirage High School in Thermal, is now facing multiple felony counts. According to court documents, they include:

attempted lewd acts upon a child contact with a minor for a sexual offense meeting with a minor for lewd purposes

The charges were filed in Imperial County Superior Court on June 6th, one day after court documents claim he knowingly met with a 14-year-old victim, identified as Jane Doe, for sexual interaction. There were no details as to how Korwin and the girl knew each other.

Court records show Korwin made an appearance at the Brawley courthouse for a pretrial and bail review on Monday, where he pleaded not guilty to all counts. Korwin was granted a public defender and had his bail set at $250,000.

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According to Imperial County jail records, he is being held at the El Centro jail. Court records shoe he is scheduled to appear next on June 19th.

The Coachella Valley Unified School District Superintendent’s Office told KESQ News Channel 3’s and CBS Local 2’s Katie Widner over the phone that they were first notified of his arrest by the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month. They said District employees were notified by an internal email last week. Requests for copies of both letters were not provided to KESQ News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2.

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On Monday, a representative could not confirm whether Korwin was still employed by the District. However, on the school’s website Korwin is still listed as the ‘Green Energy and Technology Teacher.’

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