San Diego

Former Santana High School Coach Accused of Sexual Misconduct With Student

Authorities have arrested a former Santana High School campus supervisor and track coach for allegedly engaging in sexual misconduct with a high school junior. 

The San Diego Sheriff's Department (SDSO) announced Thursday Keith Silvia, 49, voluntarily surrendered to detectives at the Santee Patrol Station Thursday. 

Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) spokeswoman Catherine Martin said in a statement that Silvia was placed on unpaid administrative leave on June 15 once administrators learned of the allegations. He resigned from the district on June 23. 

The incident came to light when the victim's parents found letters from an unknown person in their daughter's backpack, deputies said. 

When they looked into the matter further, they discovered the letters were from Silvia. GUHSD officials said Silvia worked as a campus supervisor and also coached freshman football and track and field. 

Deputies conducted an investigation and found the coach fostered an intimate relationship with the victim, deputies said. The coach arranged more than one off-campus meeting, deputies said. 

The victim's parents reported the incident to the school, which told the Sheriff's Department. 

"As a school district, we do not condone any inappropriate behavior by adults. When concerns involving any adult on campus come before us, our normal procedure is to remove the adult from the situation and conduct a full investigation in cooperation with law enforcement. We take this particularly seriously when the actions could endanger students," a statement from the GUHSD read, in part.

GUHSD spokeswoman Martin said prospective employees are fingerprinted and undergo a DOJ and FBI background check before they are hired. Silvia met these qualifications, they said. 

Silvia has been booked into the San Diego Central Jail and charged with four misdemeanor counts of annoying/molesting a child under 18 years of age and one felony count of arranging a meet with a minor for the purpose of engaging in lewd acts. 

Investigators have no reason to believe there are any other victims, but said that may change once word gets out.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 with information to remain anonymous. You may be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to a felony arrest.

No other information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story. 

Contact Us