HSI Seeks Victims of Former San Diego County Preschool Teacher Convicted of Child Exploitation

Warning: This story contains information that may be disturbing. Discretion is advised.

Federal investigators asked people to come forward Wednesday who may have been victimized by a former pre-school teacher in San Diego County who pleaded guilty last month to distributing sexual images of children, officials said.

Paul Torres Jimenez De La Cuesta, 29, is expected to be sentenced on June 28 for distributing images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Torres first came under Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) radar in June 2020 when agents discovered he was trading images of child sex abuse in online chat groups, HSI said. A search of his electronic devices confirmed he had sexually explicit images of children.

On June 11, 2020, Torres was arrested at the My Room to Grow preschool in Poway, where he was a teacher.

But, Torres had previously been employed at about a dozen other schools in both San Diego County and Tijuana. HSI believes there may have been other victims.

The schools where Torres worked are:

• St. David’s Episcopal Church & Preschool, 5050 Milton Street
• Seaside Preschool’s Beachside Campus, 1201 Turquoise Street
• Little Sprouts Preschool – Mission Valley Campus, 403 Camino del Rio South
• NHA University of Early Learning Bethel Campus – Day Care Center, 3085 K Street (Neighborhood House Association)
• NHA Johnson Early Learning Academy – Day Care Center, 5760 Luber Street (Neighborhood House Association)
• NHA Karen D Love Head Start – Day Care Center, 2060 Drescher Street - 6749 TAIT (Neighborhood House Association)
• NHA Stem Institute for Early Learning – Day Care Center, 808 W Cedar Street (Neighborhood House Association)
• YMCA of San Diego County, 3708 Ruffin Road
• San Diego Cooperative Preschool, 4190 Front Street
• Soroptimist International of the Americas - Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
• Concordia Church & School - 1695 Discovery Falls Drive, Chula Vista, California
• My Room to Grow Preschool and Kindergarten, 13613 Cynthia Lane, Poway, California

HSI asked anyone who may have had previous contact with Torres or believes they may have information pertinent to their investigation to reach out at (760) 901-1004.

To report someone suspected to be a child predator, or anyone engaging in suspicious activity, contact HSI's tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or online here.