A 59-year-old teacher at a Coachella Valley high school is in custody after allegedly arranging to meet a 13-year-old in a parking lot with sexual intent, officials said Wednesday.
Vista resident Anthony Robert Korwin was arrested June 5 and is facing felony charges that he contacted a minor under the age of 14 with the intent to commit sexual and lewd offenses, according to a statement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
He pleaded not guilty to two felony counts involving child sex offenses at his June 7 arraignment.
Officials did not comment on Korwin’s immigration status or indicate that he is not an American citizen, but said the arrest was a result of an undercover operation executed by an ICE task force that focuses on internet crimes against children in the Imperial Valley.
Investigators were probing an ad posted to Craigslist when Korwin allegedly agreed to meet a 13-year-old girl at a parking lot in El Centro, authorities said. Officials arrested Korwin once he arrived.
ICE did not disclose which high school Korwin taught at.
He is being held on $250,000 bail and is scheduled to return to court June 21 at Imperial County Superior Court.