Hemet teacher charged with having sexual relations with student
A Hemet High School teacher accused of engaging in sex acts with a female student was charged today with two counts of lewd acts on a minor.
Miguel Chavez, 27, of Riverside, was arrested Monday morning following a Riverside County sheriff’s investigation.
Chavez was being held in lieu of $500,000 bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta and is slated to make his initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon at the adjacent Southwest Justice Center.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Ken Reichle, deputies were alerted last week to possible illicit behavior involving Chavez and the girl.
Reichle alleged the acts occurred during the 2017-18 academic year, though he did not specify where they took place.
Detectives interviewed both the student and Chavez, who has been employed as a math teacher at Hemet High since 2016. He was taken into custody without incident in Hemet.
Hemet Unified School District spokeswoman Alexandrea Sponheim told City News Service that, effective Wednesday, Chavez is on paid administrative leave.
“We take the accusations in this case very seriously,” Sponheim said. “We strive to provide a safe learning environment for our students, and we want the public to know that we are conducting an internal personnel investigation that is in addition to the law enforcement investigation.”
He was a teacher at Rancho Mirage High School from 2014 to 2016, Joan Boiko, a spokesperson for PSUSD confirmed. Boiko said the reason Chavez was let go from RMHS was because he was a ” non re-elect,” which means he was on probation as all new teachers are for two years. The district chose not to hire him permanently.
Chavez has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.
Investigators believe additional victims exist and are requesting they come forward. The investigation remains ongoing and authorities ask anyone with information to contact Investigator Porrazzo at (951) 791-3400.
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