Ex-NJROTC Instructor Pleads Not Guilty to Sex With Student

A former Navy Junior ROTC instructor pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges that he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student.

Martin Albert Gallegos, 48, appeared in a San Diego County courtroom to face one count of sexual penetration with a foreign object and one count of oral copulation of a minor.

Gallegos, a former ROTC instructor at Mar Vista High School, was arrested April 9 after investigators said the relationship had allegedly been going on for months.

A Sheriffโ€™s School Resource Officer received a tip the day before that a teacher at the high school was in a relationship with a female student. That information led deputies to Gallegos.

District officials said Gallegos is a first-year substitute in the district who was fired immediately.

Gallegosโ€™ arrest was among three arrests linked to the Imperial Beach school that alleged sex assault of a minor.

Gallegos is free after posting $50,000 bond.

Contact Us