Legacy Christian Academy officials issued a statement regarding an on-campus arrest made Wednesday due to an allegation that a teacher “inappropriately touched” a student.
Carl Astrera, 35, a Panorama City, works as a teacher at Legacy Christian Academy, according to Sheriff’s Department officials.
He’s due at court April 16 in Newhall to answer the accusation, according to the complaint filed in court Thursday. The alleged victim was an 11-year-old boy.
The statement was attributed to Legacy Christian Principal Timothy W. Borruel. It was posted on the school’s website Thursday.
Astrera was arrested at the school around noon Wednesday, after officials with the District Attorney’s Office agreed to pursue a misdemeanor charge of “annoying or molesting a child,” according to Sgt. Brian Hudson of the Sheriff’s Department’s Special Victims Bureau.
An investigator with the Special Victims Bureau of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department characterized the teacher-student contact as “inappropriate under any circumstances,” but did not cite specifics.
“Based on the information we have obtained, our 14 years of experience with this teacher and even the nature of the allegations, we had and have no reason to believe that any Legacy student was subjected to any risk with this teacher,” according to Borruel’s statement.
“The teacher involved will remain on administrative leave pending further investigation and evaluation,” according to the letter. “Given the understandable concern expressed by so many in our community, we feel compelled to advise you of what we do know at this time.”
The principal’s letter cited the following pieces of information:
1. There were no allegations conveyed to us of touching that was overtly sexual in nature – rather we have been advised of an alleged incident when, while playing tag out on the playground with several students, the teacher picked the student up off the ground.
2. The teacher is alleged to have stated to the student in a classroom setting full of students, that the student would be excused to leave the classroom if “he gave the teacher a hug.” There is no allegation that a hug actually ensued.
3. The teacher is alleged to have “winked” at the student in class.
4. There is no allegation that the teacher was ever alone with the student in any setting.
5. There was no contact by the teacher with the student outside of school either in person, telephone, email or through social media.
6. The student had been given a “yellow card” for disciplinary reasons by the accused teacher in October 2013.
Sheriff’s Department officials presented the case to the District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday, after an investigation starting on Feb. 28, which culminated in Astrera’s arrest Wednesday.
Legacy Christian Academy officials declined to answer questions about statement and the incident.
Astrera was listed as released from custody at 5:39 p.m. Wednesday, in lieu of $20,000 bail.
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58 Comments
Well of course the school is going to say that. They want it to seem like the kid did it out of revenge for getting in trouble 6 months ago.
Generally they would investigate before they arrest. I am going to assume this wasn’t just an arrest without cause. Hopefully he is innocent.
Generally they would investigate before they arrest. I am going to assume this wasn’t just an arrest without cause. Hopefully he is innocent.
So he gave the student a yellow card as punishment for a misdeed and the kid was mad so he wanted the teacher to suffer. There is no evidence over the teacher. I hate this so much.
So he gave the student a yellow card as punishment for a misdeed and the kid was mad so he wanted the teacher to suffer. There is no evidence over the teacher. I hate this so much.
SCVTV – Thank you for the update.
SCVTV – Thank you for the update.
This guy sort of looks like Jon Gosselin from “Jon and Kate plus 8”
This guy sort of looks like Jon Gosselin from “Jon and Kate plus 8”
I just read the story, the sad part is if this teacher is innocent the student just ruined this teachers career, and life! This sucks!!! I am praying for all involved!!
I just read the story, the sad part is if this teacher is innocent the student just ruined this teachers career, and life! This sucks!!! I am praying for all involved!!
I have no personal knowledge of this teacher, but for ANYBODY in these times, there is no way that allegations should become public until there is PROOF that misdeeds took place. Just 1 untrue allegation and a person’s life can literally be ruined. Everybody just assumes guilty without waiting for facts. So sad either way!
Over 15 years of teaching and not one allegation of any misconduct ever by one child. In fact he is one of the most respected teacher by not only his current and past students but by the parents as well.
The REALLY sad part is nobody seems to be looking at what the DA actually did here. The policy on child abuse is to file a complaint regardless of whether the case has merit. This is common since prosecutors want to appear tough. Further, the DA pulled a statute that has no severity and will probably result in a misdemeanor if anything. The penalty is similar to driving on a suspended license. If the DA had any real evidence, a lewd act complaint with prison time would have been filed. It is unlikely anything illegal will be discovered and the result will be a scarlet letter on the teacher’s career. It is awful to think of an environment where true victims would be afraid to accuse. But it is even worse that we have misdemeanor laws on the books with words like “molesting” that cause harm to innocent people while protecting few children if any. This law doesn’t even require physical contact. We should be ashamed that we allowed law-makers to write such laws.
I have no personal knowledge of this teacher, but for ANYBODY in these times, there is no way that allegations should become public until there is PROOF that misdeeds took place. Just 1 untrue allegation and a person’s life can literally be ruined. Everybody just assumes guilty without waiting for facts. So sad either way!
Over 15 years of teaching and not one allegation of any misconduct ever by one child. In fact he is one of the most respected teacher by not only his current and past students but by the parents as well.
My daughter attended Legacy for almost her entire elementary school years and loved this teacher. I do not believe this is accurate in any way. Unfortunate that a student would do this. A wink in class, a hug…I can see coming from him but not in any way inappropriate! Very upset to see this…
My daughter attended Legacy for almost her entire elementary school years and loved this teacher. I do not believe this is accurate in any way. Unfortunate that a student would do this. A wink in class, a hug…I can see coming from him but not in any way inappropriate! Very upset to see this…
Educational professionals must now be robots instead of humans bcs of the society we live in!
Educational professionals must now be robots instead of humans bcs of the society we live in!
Still hate the fact Scvtv posted his picture and kept blasting it all over my wall.
Still hate the fact Scvtv posted his picture and kept blasting it all over my wall.
Vanessa, do you know him? The student? Anyone associated with the arrest?
Vanessa, do you know him? The student? Anyone associated with the arrest?
I agree that allegations should not be public seeing that there are so many false was made regularly. I consider it slander to that person’s character when is not such history proving that.
I agree that allegations should not be public seeing that there are so many false was made regularly. I consider it slander to that person’s character when is not such history proving that.
Vanessa- of course parents with students at the school MUST be notified. But NOT the general media. What if it was you and you did nothing wrong? And all of a sudden there you are on Channel 7 ABC News saying you molested a child?? Absolutely outrageous this is out there at this point in my opinion.
Vanessa- of course parents with students at the school MUST be notified. But NOT the general media. What if it was you and you did nothing wrong? And all of a sudden there you are on Channel 7 ABC News saying you molested a child?? Absolutely outrageous this is out there at this point in my opinion.
Vanessa, Thats because you are not a parent of a child that goes to this school. I have had all 3 of my children attend Legacy and all have had Carl Astrera from K through 8th grade. Because you do not know Carl I can see why you would think this way. But to those of us that know him we are so upset that this has happened to him. The allegations are just ridiculous.
Vanessa, Thats because you are not a parent of a child that goes to this school. I have had all 3 of my children attend Legacy and all have had Carl Astrera from K through 8th grade. Because you do not know Carl I can see why you would think this way. But to those of us that know him we are so upset that this has happened to him. The allegations are just ridiculous.
I believe that arrests are public information and there is thus no way to keep the media from reporting.
This case is a good example of how California residents have let the legislators and courts go to extremes in the name of public protection. Astrera was cited on a single count of 647.6 PC which has a punishment similar to driving on a suspended license. California has many laws protecting children and this is the weakest of them all. If the DA had any aggravating evidence, they would have brought multiple counts into play and certainly something with more bite than a misdemeanor. So those people assuming that the word “molesting” found in the title of 647.6 PC need to read the law before assuming he was caught doing something overt. According to the case law surrounding this statute, the accused is supposed to have demonstrated two components: 1) behavior considered abnormally sexual, 2) conduct designed to disturb, irritate, offend, injure or at least tend to injure another person. There isn’t a teacher in the entire state that hasn’t irritated a student at some point. So the burden of proof for the second half of this law is so low as to be disturbing. The first part is the key to the law but it is highly subjective. No contact need occur for this law to be applied. Indeed, a simple wink from an adult to a child can be all that is required to conjure a claim. If we aren’t digging deep into a person’s thoughts in order to interpret the meaning of a wink, we are kidding ourselves. Put plainly, this law could probably be applied to the most innocent of actions taken wrongly by anyone. Further, there are certain sensitive topics where the DA will automatically issue an arrest regardless of the degree of circumstances. Child abuse is a good example. With recent scandals, the DA doesn’t want to appear weak on the subject and will pursue every claim regardless of merit. The result is the harassing of innocent people in the hopes of finding a few bad apples. Many agree with this approach, and the parent of a real incident would certainly agree. But the fact that many accused of this law will be found innocent does not help a teacher who will be forever stained with an accusation.
The facts of this case will certainly come out. The facts already presented by the prosecution are not likely to produce a conviction since there is nothing in the complaint demonstrating behavior considered abnormally sexual. But the damage is done, and far too many people are piling on this guy because a child is involved and he’s a teacher. There is no penalty from 647.6 PC that will make Astrera’s life dramatically different than it is today. The damage to his life occurred the second the DA issued the complaint. Without a trial or any burden of proof, Astrera’s career and life are irreparably harmed. The scarlet letter is placed and every resident of California should be ashamed that we allowed the cast of blame to cloud the rule of law. If Astrera is found innocent, there will be no apology from the Sheriff, the DA, or the accuser. He will be a few bucks lighter and not a bit relieved. The story will not be one of redemption and he will never escape the judgment already imparted by the public. Mary Walcott would have enjoyed the ease with which accusations can be so freely levied in 2014.
If this was an ongoing investigation for the past 3+ weeks, why did the police feel the need to arrest him at school and create a scene? Regardless of Mr. Astrera’s innocence, this seems unnecessary, and potentially traumatizing to students who had to see a teacher taken away in handcuffs.
From what I’ve heard, the kid’s parent works in law enforcement, and he may have gotten Mr. Astrera arrested as some sort of payback (potentially for the disciplinary action taken against his kid last fall, perhaps for other reasons), and arranged to have him arrested on the school’s premises was just to further humiliate him.
Reading Legacy’s official statement, it sounds like the police are grasping at straws for a case here. Mr. Astrera allegedly was playing tag with the children at recess, and picked one of the kids up while playing. 20 years ago, nobody would have batted an eye at this, but now it’s considered “molestation,” even though there’s nothing sexual about it.
There’s no case here, all of Mr. Astrera’s interactions with this kid were in public, which means they have witnesses, and so far people are saying there was nothing sexual about the conduct (a requirement for penal code 647.6). The parent got what he was hoping for, which was to get Mr. Astrera thrown in jail, his mugshot plastered all over local media, and potentially ruined his career, even if found completely innocent.
I hope that when this is all over, Legacy will welcome Mr. Astrera back with open arms, and if it does turn out that there was an abuse of power, that a civil case is filed.
That all said, we will have to wait for the courts to pass judgment in the months to come. Those of you suggesting that Mr. Astrera be murdered/maimed, or comparing him to a serial killer, should research more facts and not just jump to conclusions.
These allegations are making me just sick. Mr. A, as everyone who knows this man, calls him, can NOT be true. He has the kindest heart of any teacher. Any child that has had him for a teacher is very lucky. I stand behind him 100%. My son went to Legacy K-8, and is now a senior in high school. He still goes and visits Mr. A on a regular basis. I trust Carl 100%.
I am so proud of the Legacy Christian Academy for making such a supportive statement. It is sickening to see allegations of this kind made public before the investigations have been completed. Our law enforcement and the media seem to have completely forgotten “innocent until proven guilty” and it is unconscionable to release and print this type of information with absolutely no proof. We are confident of his innocence and are praying that the truth will come out and that apologies will be made and Mr. Astrera will be vindicated before too much damage is done to his reputation.
Vanessa, please don’t be so quick to pass judgment on either the school or the teacher…I find it admirable that the school is standing behind a respected and admired teacher. I don’t find the school’s statement irresponsible at all.
I think it is horrible that this man’s picture is continually displayed on my fb feed. If he is found innocent, I hope he sues you. I am 100% for the rights of children, but where is your journalistic integrity? – why I left the profession. sigh
Vanessa, it states that there was not an allegation of the teacher and student ever being alone. In fact, your quote of ‘was never alone’ is misinterpreting the entirety of the quote, “There is no allegation that the teacher was ever alone with the student in any setting.” “There is no allegation that the teacher ” is a HUGE part of the quote you neglected. That means that the family that filed charges did not charge the teacher for anything during a time when other individuals weren’t around. If something happened just between the student and the teacher alone, then the statement would have, in fact, stated that information as it is pertinent to the report.
He was my teacher
I am relieved to find out that this was apparently not a case of sexual abuse but perhaps the teacher showed some poor judgement in how he dealt with this kid. It would have been nice if the details had been made public when he was arrested. In this day and age, many jumpted to the conclusion that he was a sexual predator. I look forward to seeing how this case proceeds if it actually does.
God I loathe that school.
And who’s Vanessa??
You are really making the point for everybody. At this point, the child should be believed that what he says is possible, but at the same time the teacher should also be believed that it didn’t happen. A thorough investigation will find the truth, and then AND ONLY THEN, should the accusation become public IF it turns out he did anything! That’s the point! If he is totally innocent, and neither you nor I have any idea, it is a tragedy to have his name and picture shown the way it is. Let the school parents know there is an accusation with this teacher, and steps are being taken during the investigation to be sure, but in the public? Absolutely NOT!
Please note that there is absolutely no allegation of sexual nature. Please stop talking about something you know absolutely nothing about. We as former or current parents absolutely 100% support Carl Astrera. He is a good man. #truthwillprevail
The Real crappy thing here is this teacher will never be able to teach again guilty or not! This will follow him where ever he goes. As adults, its a felony to file a false police report, but as a minor it goes more like “Sorry” Sorry my ass! Somebody needs to pay for this embarrassment to both the school and the teacher! Perhaps the parents need to be held responsible if this teacher is innocent! Just my thought on this matter
SNAPJudy • 16 hours ago
It’s never too late to come forward about being sexually abused. So let’s hope that anyone who may have knowledge or may have been harmed by Carl Astrera, will find the courage to speak up, get help, and contact law enforcement, no matter how long ago it happened.
Something to keep in mind-
Child predators are very cunning and manipulative. They know every trick on how to groom, threaten, lie, and put the fear of god into their victims and sometimes even their family members. They also appear to do a lot of goods things, they can be very charismatic and you may think they would never harm a child. They have to be this way, in order to not get caught and to continue to abuse
Sexual predators are often powerful and well-loved. It would be comforting if those who preyed on the vulnerable were obvious social misfits whose appearance would somehow set off alarm bells and give us the willies or the creeps. They rarely do. Usually, predators are among the last people we would suspect of sexually violating others. While they are grooming the child and even family members, they devote lots of time and energy building trust with them by giving them money and gifts. They tend to make the child feel that they are special and loved.
It takes a lot of courage to come forward and take action about being sexually abused. This is not an easy thing to do, but it is extremely rare that a child predator has only one victim. Some have many. Child predators need to be kept far away from kids forever.
Keep in mind your silence only hurts, and by speaking up there is a chance for healing, exposing the truth, and therefore protecting others
So what would you have happen if the kid was not actually “annoyed or molested”? It would appear that their is no penalty for false prosecution here. Any child that wants to get back at a teacher or counselor has a “he’s a witch card” to play whenever they want. How do we protect our children without allowing innocent people to be accused without real evidence? The police couldn’t find much but the DA has a policy to throw at least a misdemeanor complaint at any accusation.
Based on the facts, I’m surprised he was even arrested! Sounds to me like what he said and did was misconstrued. My son had Mr. Astrera as a teacher for 9 years, and had no problems with him. In fact, I think Mr. A contributed to his dream of being a computer programmer. Great teacher all around! It’s sad to see these allegations posted all over the internet.
At least the school had the courage to say “a teacher of ours” and “administrative leave pending full investigation.” I was very frustrated with our church (Real Life) when we had an incident whereby the staff member had admitted 7 counts of first degree sodomy and the DAY it came out our leadership’s response was “a former employee blah, blah blah” and assured everyone that the individual (Brandon Milburn) had NO contact with youth which was completely inaccurate – only a few weeks earlier he had spoke on stage at the High School Meeting at church about abstaining from sexual relations. Very, very sad and I hope this guy at Legacy is innocent but at least they have the courage to recognize he is STILL an employee.
It has come to my attention that The child’s father is in law enforcement and it seems to me that he initiated these ridiculous allegations. At this point No other children have come forward!
Pray for the truth
Really? Do you know the kid got kicked out from school (check school record)? Do you know the kid’s dad is a cop (check with school principal)? Do you people know anything (other than gossip girls on the street)? Should I call this a police profiling activity, just because of that stupid kid!!!!
Bob you are an idiot! You clearly have no idea what your talking about! Police dont just arrest someone because someone asks them to. The DA will not act on it unless they have a case. They clearly have something. There is more then one child that has come forward, and the childs parent is in film not a cop as Bob said. Wow Bob did you get anything right before you started running your mouth? Also I heard the parents took the child out because of this teacher, as any parent would. Its sad that anyone would be saying anything bad about an innocent child! Child pred dont come with a stamp on there face, thats how they get our children. This is why so many dont come forward because of people like u!
The DA has a policy on child abuse to file a complaint regardless of whether the case can be successfully prosecuted. Your faith in the process is misplaced on this issue. The police did their investigation, but the DA would file a complaint on anything other than an obvious fabrication. What the DA did show, however, is that he didn’t do much, since they only filed on a law that doesn’t involve prison time. The worse that can happen is a small fine and/or county lock-up. I’d say that is a pretty clear statement that the DA has very little evidence on this case.
All the teachers should be afraid of kids. Don’t do anything to upset the kids or they will be “UNCOMFORTABLE” and you will be in big trouble!
Some people jump to conclusions way to quickly !
Why is Mr. Astrera’s picture suddenly changed from the original one? Certainly he would not be in the
mood for smiles now, as he was in the first one.
However, neither would you be if your case were being tried on the internet before it even goes to court! All is hearsay and not admissible in court – supposedly! So now every teacher will be suspect if he or she winks at a student?! Is a hug now a sexual assault? God preserve us all!!
:o I go to the school that he teaches us. I am amazed. He is my favorite teacher. And I still do I am in the sixth grade