Quick Take
A former Monte Vista Christian School teacher faces multiple charges of lewd or lascivious acts with a child aged 14 or 15 from an alleged incident in 2022.
A former Monte Vista Christian School teacher faces multiple charges of lewd or lascivious acts with a child aged 14 or 15 from an alleged incident in 2022.
On Friday, Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office detectives traveled to Suffolk County, New York, where they arrested Jacob Lee, 28, according to a Wednesday news release.
Sheriff Chris Clark said in the release that Lee will be “brought back to face the justice system.”
“When someone entrusted with educating and mentoring young people is accused of committing crimes against them, it is an especially serious betrayal of that trust,” he said. “Let me be clear that there is no place to hide from accountability. Moving across the country does not make those allegations disappear.”
The sheriff’s office is still investigating and believes there may be additional victims because Lee was a teacher at the time of the alleged incident and was involved in the church community. Deputies are encouraging people with any information to contact the sheriff’s office at 831-454-7646.
Monte Vista Christian School officials say Lee was employed at the school from August 2021 to February 2024. Located northeast of Watsonville, the private Christian school was founded 100 years ago and serves grades 4 through 12.
School officials told Lookout they are committed to the safety of their students and they ensure their staff are properly vetted and evaluated.
“We see any unsafe action toward a member of our school community to be a serious betrayal of trust,” they said in the statement.
Santa Cruz County Superior Court records do not list an attorney for Lee.
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