Local teacher to stand trial for allegedly molesting student
City News Service
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A Coachella Valley Unified School District teacher accused of inappropriately touching a student must stand trial for lewd acts on a minor and other offenses, a judge ruled today.
Mario Manuel Valenzuela, 42, of Coachella, was arrested in February following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation.
At the end of a preliminary hearing Thursday, Superior Court Judge Otis Sterling found there was sufficient evidence to bound Valenzuela over for trial on the lewd acts count, as well as annoying or molesting a minor under 18 years old.
The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Sept. 11 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. The defendant is free on a $10,000 bond.
According to sheriff’s investigators, reports of alleged illicit acts involving the defendant were received in December, prompting an investigation that spanned several months.
The girl allegedly targeted by Valenzuela was not identified, and the circumstances behind the encounter were not disclosed.
CVUSD officials released a statement soon after the defendant’s arrest in mid-February, stating “Our work with the sheriff’s department is still in progress.”
“Please know that we do not tolerate any inappropriate behavior in our district, and the safety of our students and staff is our top priority,” the district stated.
Officials declined to reveal in what specific instructional capacity Valenzuela worked and for how long.
He was placed on unpaid administrative leave after he was taken into custody, but it was unknown whether the district had completed termination proceedings.
The defendant has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.