A former Granite Hills High School teacher accused of sexual misconduct involving a minor pleaded not guilty Wednesday to felony and misdemeanor charges.
Gerald Lopez, 54, who taught English and coached sports at the East County school, was arrested last week by El Cajon police.
The criminal complaint filed against Lopez charges him with felony counts of possessing child pornography and sending harmful matter to a minor, as well as a misdemeanor count of annoying or molesting a child for conduct that allegedly occurred in June. The complaint alleges he possessed child porn between March and June of this year.
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If convicted on all counts, he faces up to four years and eight months in state prison and would be required to register for life as a sex offender, Deputy District Attorney Joshua Brisbane said. Gomez posted $70,000 bail and was released from custody.
“Legally the fact that he’s a teacher doesn’t have any additional punishment because he’s a teacher, but obviously we take all of our cases very seriously," Brisbane said. "We want to ensure that the public is safe, especially when children are going to school, that their teachers aren’t viewing them in some sexual way.”
The allegations first surfaced in June, when the Grossmont Union High School District said it had placed a teacher on unpaid leave amid "very disturbing" sexual misconduct allegations. The school did not say when the alleged misconduct happened or how many students it may have involved.
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The district conducted its own thorough and prompt investigation and as a result, the employee no longer works for the district, Dr. Christina Wilde, Principal of Granite Hills High School, said in a letter sent to parents last week. School district officials said they reported the allegations to police and Child Protective Services.
