Posted on 06/07/2006 9:05:54 AM PDT by CAWats
San Diego police arrested music teacher Carlos Hernandez Tuesday at Sweetwater High School.
Investigators said they first learned of the case last week.
"We received the information last Thursday and we had enough to make an arrest," said San Diego police Capt. Guy Swanger.
Hernandez was booked into jail Tuesday evening.
He faces several criminal counts of sex with a minor.
10News investigators spoke with Hernandez"s accuser before she went to the police.
The teenager claimed she was pressured, and is not the only one.
The only all-girl mariachi band in San Diego County -- the Mariach-Ayas -- hails from Sweetwater High School.
Their tune was soured by revelations about Hernandez, their bandleader and teacher.
"At first, he made me feel very good. He made me feel like I was the best," said a former student and alleged victim.
The girl used to be a member of the Mariach-Ayas, and said her teacher seduced her.
It was a yearlong sexual affair that began when she was a 17-year-old senior at Sweetwater High.
"It made me feel really badly," added the alleged victim.
The young woman said she is not alone, claiming her former teacher had done the same with other girls.
Hernandez even has a page on the MySpace Web site, inviting new relationships.
Mario Torres knows some of the girls in the mariachi band, and is also suspicious.
"She"s not the only one. There are other girls who started crying, throwing tantrums, jealousy. They asked, "Why is he with her""" said Torres.
The young people shared their concerns with private investigator Kevin LaChapelle.
"Based on my experience and law enforcement background, I have no doubt she is telling the truth," said LaChapelle.
La Chapelle wondered if the school district did enough to protect the student.
"If students were talking about jealousy towards their teacher, someone should have picked up on it. It"s a huge concern," said LaChapelle.
Another red flag was Hernandez"s page on MySpace.
"A teacher having a MySpace page and having students log on as friends is a concern schools need to address and even adopt policies prohibiting that," said LaChapelle.
A spokesman for the Sweetwater Union High School District said he would look into concerns that Hernandez was not supervised closely enough.
Until Tuesday, Hernandez was an hourly employee, but is now permanently off of the school schedule.
The school district released a statement regarding the Hernandez case:
"We received information than an hourly instructor has been arrested on suspicion of an inappropriate relationship with a female student. We are cooperating fully with the San Diego Police Department. If the charges prove correct, we share the community"s disappointment and concern about this individual"s abuse of trust. Student safety will always be a top priority for us. Please know that we will do our part to remain vigilant against abuses of trust. We take all accusations seriously and will cooperate fully with authorities."
I guess if he's hot, he's innocent.
According to some FReepers' use of the Deborah LaFavre clause, if he's hot, it doesn't count as a crime.
It doesn't say he's an immigrant, illegal or legal. Maybe he's just a homegrown American creep.
But is he hot? Are the girls really victims? Weren't their friends impressed that a cool and hot guy was interested in them? How long will it take for all the female FReepers to chime in and say "Where were the mariachi band directors like this when I was in high school"?
BTW: The rule is, if its a hot woman, then it is no crime. If its a skanky woman or a MAN, it is ALWAYS A CRIME!
or a hispanic last name.
I'm just glad she played the flute and not the tuba!
Duh, that only counts with FEMALE teachers. In case you haven't noticed, men and women are different.
Beso me mucho.
Thanks. That's worth a repost. How dare anyone challenge something so obviously in accord with Nature.
So what? This is common in Mexico and is common in Hispanic culture. No value system to prevent it when the priests have girlfriends (and boyfriends) which is a FACT. Great movie made about that, by the way, is "The Crime of Father Amaro" or "El Crimen del Padre Amaro" which is easily found.
Hernandez got some 'splaining to do....
From the looks of it, you probably meant to write Me beso mucho.
LOL.
Yes, it's a wonder I managed to somehow function in society with a complete lack of values in my upbringing. < /s>
As opposed to America, where the Priests have BOYFRIENDS?
ROFL...yes, that would be more common in the U.S. for priests to be found to be pedophiles as opposed to just having several mistresses in Latin America. LOL.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.