High school teacher performed sex acts on 14-year-old for months, California cops say
A California substitute teacher is facing charges in connection with sex crimes involving a 14-year-old, according to the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office.
David Cornish, who was a substitute at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, was arrested in May after he was accused of having an illegal relationship with a minor during the months of April and May, CBSLA reported.
Cornish pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday, KHTS reported.
The teenager told investigators information that led to the 28-year-old’s arrest, according to CBSLA.
“Over the past two months, the defendant is accused of having an unlawful sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl he taught at Saugus High School,” according to a news release from the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office.
Cornish allegedly texted the student when he was a substitute in the William S. Hart Union High School District, SCVNews reported. His bail was set at just over $1 million, according to SCVNews, citing sheriff’s department arrest records.
“It was 18 charges,” Sgt. Brian Hudson, leader of investigations for the Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Unit, told SCVNews, “among them, oral copulation with a minor, lewd acts with a child, penetration with a foreign object and two counts dealing with sexually inappropriate messages over the internet.”
The school district suspended Cornish after learning about the allegations, a Hart district spokesperson told KHTS.
“The district strives to provide a safe educational environment for all of our students, and we are saddened and disturbed that one of our substitute teachers is being charged with this misconduct,” officials said, according to the publication.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Victims Bureau is investigating the case and Cornish faces up to 16 years in prison if convicted, the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office said.
This story was originally published June 23, 2020 at 6:13 PM with the headline "High school teacher performed sex acts on 14-year-old for months, California cops say."