Authorities are searching for more possible victims of a South El Monte elementary school teacher arrested Wednesday on suspicion of using his classroom to molest several young girls.
Joseph Baldenebro, a 54-year-old teacher at Miramonte Elementary School, is accused of multiple counts of lewd or lascivious acts involving children, as well as additional charges of annoying or molesting children, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department stated in a news release Thursday.
Baldenebro allegedly molested the students, described as girls between the ages of 8 and 11 years old, inside his classroom on school grounds.
Baldenebro is being held on $404,000 bail.
He is scheduled to be arraigned in Pomona Superior Court Friday.
The Sheriff’s Department believes there may be more possible victims and have asked anyone with information to call investigators at 877-710-5273.
Miramonte Elementary School, which is part of the Mountain View School District, is about 15 miles northeast of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s school with the same name where longtime teacher Mark Berndt pleaded no contest to 23 counts of lewd conduct upon a child and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
The LAUSD settled a lawsuit brought by Berndt’s victims for nearly $140 million in 2014.
