A substitute special education teacher’s assistant was ordered Friday to be jailed in lieu of $600,000 bail while awaiting arraignment next month on charges that he committed lewd acts on a female middle school student.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gustavo N. Sztraicher also ordered Joshua Jacob Estrada, 24, of Los Angeles, to stay away from David Wark Griffith Middle School in Los Angeles.
Estrada — who is due back in court for arraignment Jan. 12 — is charged with six counts of committing a lewd act on a child between November and December of this year, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
“We are cooperating with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department following the arrest on Wednesday of Joshua Estrada, a substitute special education teacher’s assistant from Griffith Middle School, on suspicion of sexual misconduct involving a student,” Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Michelle King said.
She said the LAUSD notified parents at the school of Estrada’s Wednesday arrest.
“While we must keep in mind that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, these allegations are nevertheless disturbing and undermine our continued efforts to provide a secure learning environment for all of our students,” King said. “We want to reassure everyone that we will remain vigilant in protecting our students from those who would do them harm.”
If convicted as charged, Estrada could face up to 18 years in state prison and lifetime sex offender registration, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
— City News Service