A judge on Thursday decided a one-time San Diego County Teacher of the Year accused of a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old student will be staying behind bars for now.
Thirty-four-year-old Chula Vista resident Jacqueline Ma was arrested not once, but two times when investigators uncovered 15 alleged child-sex abuse, pornography and other crimes.
Ma was arrested last Tuesday by National City police after a concerned parent suspected her child was possibly having an inappropriate relationship with his former teacher.
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In court in Chula Vista for a bail hearing on Thursday, the judge decided that the enhancement of house arrest was not enough to grant bail to Ma, saying that she is a danger to the community — and, more important — the boy who is now 13 years old whom she is accused of sexually abusing. In addition, National City police say they discovered that Ma attempted to contact the victim after she made bail for her first arrest.
Ma was in court in person on Thursday — as were her husband and mother-in-law and, unusually, her bail bondsman — when her attorney Mario Vela argued for bail, maintaining that the newer charges that put her back in jail are essentially the same conduct she was already charged with.
Prosecutor Drew Hart, though, said investigators looked through Ma's phone and classroom and found more felonies.
“When you groom a child for months, when you get him alone in a location that he's been told his whole life is a safe place, that when you persist in sexual advances in that location, after he tries to brush it off, that is duress," Hart told the court. "The defendant was not arrested for that offense she is charged with it now.”
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"Ms. Ma irrefutably denies that claim," Vela said. "Ms. Ma did not make contact with the alleged victim when she was released after she posted bail of $10,000. In fact the people acknowledge that the investigation is complete.”
Hart denied that claim, though, and said the ongoing police investigation turned up evidence of new crimes after searching her phone and classroom, including the lone forcible lewd acts count she faces.
Earlier this week, the prosecutor alleged Ma groomed the boy by giving him gifts and exchanging messages with the teen that eventually became sexual in nature.
Hart alleged that on one occasion when the victim was 12 years old, she made "advances'' on the boy in a classroom.
He also said her behavior towards the boy was "obsessive'' and stated that upon her arrest, a photograph of the boy was found in her wallet, she had jewelry bearing his initials, and love letters to the boy were discovered in her classroom.
The prosecutor said that in some of their messages to each other, Ma "expressed frustration with the child for not responding to her quicker. She expressed being jealous at times when she believed this victim was talking to
other girls,'' Hart said.
Prosecutors have said said the teacher and the boy communicated via apps that were designed to delete messages beginning when the child, who is now 13, was 12. Later, communication between the two occurred almost daily, according to investigators. Ma allegedly told the victim to delete the messages and, prosecutors said, both asked for and sent inappropriate messages, including photographs and videos of herself. Prosecutors also allege that Ma asked for sexual acts to be performed while using the messaging apps.
Ma was named one of five 2022-2023 Teachers of the Year in an annual showcase of educators by Cox. In a profile about Ma announcing her award, Ma told Cox she "considers the relationships she maintains with her students her greatest accomplishments." She is being held at Las Colinas Detention Facility, in Santee, and faces 29 years in state prison if convicted on all charges, prosecutors told NBC 7.
According to the San Diego Sheriff's Department, Ma is due back in court on March 21 for a readiness hearing.
City News Service contributed to this report — Ed.
