Charles De Freitas was arrested last week and made his first court appearance on child pornography charges. NBC 7’s Shandel Menezes reports on Thursday, March 28, 2024.
An associate principal at Hoover High School who allegedly sent lewd content to a minor pleaded not guilty Thursday to three felony sex crimes.
Charles Thomas Boyd De Freitas, 43, was arrested March 20 after police say a minor reported that he "sent and requested illicit images via a social media app."
A criminal complaint states the alleged conduct occurred sometime between March 1-20.
De Freitas is charged with sending harmful matter to a minor, contacting a minor with the intent to commit a sexual offense, and possession of child pornography. He faces up to four years in state prison if convicted of all counts.
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“In any case in which a child becomes a victim of crime from a person that is in a position of power or position of trust, it does certainly send a chilling effect,” Deputy District Attorney Ramona McCarthy said on Thursday.
Following his arrest, De Freitas posted $25,000 bail and was allowed to remain out of custody on that amount following Thursday's arraignment. He has been ordered abide by certain conditions, though, such as being searched without a warrant, prohibitions against using social media, and staying 100 yards away from all San Diego County schools and parks. He was also ordered to stay away from the victim, identified in court only as John Doe.
Police said De Freitas has worked for more than 13 years for the San Diego Unified School District, where he served as an administrator at Hoover High and, previously, as a teacher at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts.
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In a letter sent to parents last week, Hoover High Principal Tracey Makings said De Freitas "has been placed on leave and will not be allowed on campus."
Police and prosecutors asked anyone with information regarding the case or other potential victims to contact San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Investigator Lauren Hurtado at lhurtado@sdicac.org.
De Freitas is the third San Diego County school employee arrested recently for alleged sex-related crimes involving minors.
Stacy Michelle Walker, 40, a teacher at Mount Carmel High School, was arrested last week on suspicion of carrying on a years-long relationship with a girl who attended the Rancho Penasquitos campus, starting when the student was 15 years old. Walker was charged with 17 felonies and faces up to 13 years in state prison if convicted on all counts.
Omar Galeana, 21, a supervisor at Diegueno Middle School in Encinitas, was arrested and charged earlier this week with allegedly molesting a 12-year-old student. He pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges that include aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14 years old.
'Afraid, very concerned': Hoover High parents, students react to associate principal's arrest
Rachael Galvez is one of several parents at Hoover High School who said last week that they were shocked to hear about the associate principal's arrest.
“Afraid, very concerned," Galvez told NBC 7 on Thursday when asked about how she felt about the situation. "It's the faculty that is doing this. Are you serious? It's overwhelming. It's overwhelming as a parent.... It's sad because you would think that these are people that can be trusted — you know? — and it's not that way."
Some students aIS they were shocked to hear about the allegations because they had just seen De Freitas on campus on the previous day.
"Hearing about it is just kind of crazy," one senior said. "He speaks to people. He kind of runs the school."
NBC 7 staff contributed to this report — Ed.
