Los Angeles Sexual Assault Lawyer Blog

He was a fire chief who became a ballroom dance instructor. In both roles, he has been accused of sexual harassment in Orange County.

Our Orange County sexual harassment attorneys are dismayed to learn that an individual who acted inappropriately toward adult employees was then placed in a position of trust as a dance instructor working with children.

According to The Orange County Register, the 53-year-old suspect has been arrested on a charge of child annoyance, after he reportedly sent sexually explicit text messages to a student, who is 15. In the past, he was accused of sexual harassment toward a younger female paramedic.

The newspaper reports that the defendant, of Cerritos, used to be the fire chief at La Habra Heights Fire Department. While in that role, a paramedic sued the city, saying she suffered repeated gender discrimination and sexual harassment, as well as libelous comments - all from the defendant.

In her civil complaint, which was filed in 2008, the paramedic reported that the chief sent her some form of communication, apologizing to her for "making her feel bad," saying he would make it up to her by "making her feel good," with a promise to make her feel "Like you have never felt before." It ended with the plea: "Love me."

The complaint also details how the chief often talked about his private life and sexual ventures. He even once asked her to rendezvous with him at a local hotel to engage in sexual activity.

The chief, who had worked with the department since 2002, resigned at the end of 2008. By the following summer, the city reached a confidential settlement agreement with the accuser. An insurance company check was made out to the accuser in the amount of nearly $400,000.

After that, the former fire chief landed a job working as a part-time dance instructor at a Santa Ana public charter school, where there are more than 1,500 students attending middle and high school from dozens of cities throughout Southern California. School officials say they conducted a background check, but found nothing that would have raised any red flags. During that time, he met the 15-year-old student, and court records indicate that he worked to gain her trust.

Then, starting last fall, he reportedly began sending sexually suggestive text messages. He texted her details of his personal life and his romantic relationships. He then asked if she would be his girlfriend.

The texts weren't discovered until other students began to comment that the relationship between the two was odd.

The school subsequently placed him on leave and he was ultimately fired in mid-January.

Under California Penal Code 647.6, a charge of child annoyance is a misdemeanor. The maximum penalties he faces in the criminal case are 1 year in jail and lifetime registration as a sexual offender.

Our Orange County sexual harassment attorneys hope that this individual's next employer does a more thorough background check, as everyone deserves the right to work and study in a harassment-free environment.