High School Teacher In Santa Ana Arrested After Allegedly Having Sex With Student, Producing Child Porn

A Santa Ana high school teacher has been arrested for allegedly having sex with one of his underage students, as well as for what is believed to be child pornography. He is currently being held in a Santa Ana jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.

45-year-old Alvar Albert Gonzalez was arrested on Friday, according to a police statement, and taken into custody on charges of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. He was also charged with possessing and producing “obscene matter,” after a joint investigation into Gonzalez by the Santa Ana Police Department and the Santa Ana Unified School District Police. Officials said that during the investigation, “inappropriate images” of young-looking girls were found on the teacher’s media devices — some of which depicted Gonzalez engaging in criminal sexual activity with the student in question.

The victim — who’s name has not been released due to her age — was a student of Gonzalez’s high school science class. The police statement alleges that in 2013, the high school teacher arranged to meet the young girl in his classroom during lunch breaks, where the two engaged in sexual activities at least nine times over the course of the school year, Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna says. The incidents were never reported.

In 2014, Bertagna continued in his statement, the science teacher allegedly approached another female student during school hours and kissed her. This time the young high school student went to authorities, and Gonzalez was placed on administrative leave, says Rick Miller, superintendent of the Santa Ana Unified School District.

“The Santa Ana Unified School District was notified today that a former teacher from Santa Ana High School was arrested for allegations of criminal misconduct involving a minor. Once the initial investigation and allegations were brought to the attention of the district, the teacher was immediately removed from the classroom, placed on leave, prohibited from all SAUSD campuses, and the matter was referred to the Santa Ana Police Department. This allegation is deeply troubling and disturbing as it is every employee’s responsibility to provide a safe environment for our students.”

Once the investigation into Gonzalez had begun, it was then that officials found the obscene images depicting what appeared to be minors on his computer and other media devices. Through the pictures, officials identified one of the teacher’s alleged victims and obtained her statement.

Police are now seeking out other potential victims of the Santa Ana high school teacher, and they are asking that anyone with information pertinent to the investigation contact detectives at (714) 245-8542.

[Image Credit: Santa Ana Police Department]