Both of these teachers are the prime example of why the show “To Catch a Predator” needs to stay active on Dateline NBC:
A 50-year-old Redondo Union High School teacher has been arrested on suspicion of committing a lewd sexual act in front of…… a 16-year-old student in his classroom. Louis Jay Haddad of Seal Beach was taken into custody Thursday shortly after the girl reported what happened to school officials, Redondo Beach police Sgt. Phil Keenan said.
The school district has placed Haddad on a leave of absence, said Nancy Billinger, assistant superintendent of human resources. Police said the media arts teacher arranged a meeting with the student in his classroom at 1:30 p.m. Thursday to discuss a school-related matter.
The meeting occurred during Period 6, when the teacher did not have a class. Instead, he talked about a sexually explicit topic and “then engaged in a sexual act in her presence,” police said. “The sexual act occurred in her presence but did not involve any physical injury to her,” Redondo Beach police Lt. Joe Hoffman said.
Haddad, who is married and has two children, has worked at the Redondo Beach campus for eight years. He previously worked at Lynwood High School, police said. Haddad was booked on suspicion of arranging a meeting with a minor for the purpose of engaging in lewd behavior. He posted $75,000 bail and was released from jail about 10 p.m. Thursday. He is scheduled for arraignment Jan. 14 in Torrance Superior Court.
School district officials were notified of the alleged crime Thursday afternoon, Billinger said. “The district is working cooperatively with the Redondo Beach Police Department as they conduct their investigation,” Billinger said. “Any future district action will be as a result of the findings of their investigation.”
Haddad’s class involved making films. Police detectives have searched Haddad’s car and house, taking computers and flash drives, Keenan said. At school Friday, word spread throughout the campus that Haddad had been arrested. Some students did not know what happened and were surprised to learn of the alleged offense. “The teachers and administrators didn’t say anything,” a 16-year-old female student said. “I don’t really know if it’s true or not.” A 17-year-old girl said she had took Haddad’s class and noted that he would “check out the girls.”
“He’s always been like that,” she said. “I always got a weird vibe from him.” Blake Thomas, a 17-year-old Redondo Shores student who formerly attended Redondo Union, was shocked when he learned Haddad had been arrested. The two shared a conversation a couple of days earlier at the campus. Thomas described Haddad as “cool.” “He was just a real down-to-earth guy,” Thomas said. “He was one of my favorite teachers.”
A high school teacher has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography.
Aaron Brian Sands, 41, is a teacher at King High School. Court records show that agents from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement served a search warrant on Sands’ home on Wednesday.
During the search, an agent found 36 pornographic images on Sands’ laptop. The court documents describe sexually explicit photos of underage girls with adult men. Sands was arrested, and the court documents say he told agents, ” I don’t know what the **** my problem is. I don’t know what is wrong with me.” Sands is a math teacher at King High school. His arrest was part of “Operation Predator,” an ongoing ICE investigation. Sands faces a maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison.
