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A female Livermore high school teacher accused of sexually assaulting one of her male students will be back in court today to answer to the charges.

Marie Johnson, a 40-year-old math teacher, was arrested last Wednesday when she arrived for work at Granada High School. She appeared briefly in Alameda County Superior Court in Pleasanton Friday on 24 felony counts that allege that she sexually assaulted a 14-year-old male student from December 2010 to May 2011.

Johnson, a Livermore resident who’s being held at the Alameda County Jail in lieu of $1.85 million bail, is scheduled to return to court at 2 p.m. Tuesday to be arraigned.

Livermore police Detective Joseph Draghi said in a probable cause arrest warrant filed in court Friday that when police interviewed Johnson on Wednesday she “admitted to committing the above-listed violations.”

The charges listed against Johnson in the warrant and the criminal complaint filed against her are four counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor under the age of 16 and 10 counts each of oral copulation of a person under 16 and performing lewd acts on a child.

Draghi said the student, who is now 15, told a high school coach on Tuesday that “he was a victim of repeated molestation.”

The student “provided a detailed statement of a long term sexual relationship with Johnson,” Draghi said.

Livermore police spokesman Steve Goard said authorities allege that Johnson began having sex with the boy shortly after he finished taking a

class from her in December 2010 and sexually assaulted the boy 24 times over a six-month period.

Investigators believe Johnson and the boy, who is now 15, formed their relationship through text messages, social networking on Facebook and instant messaging on a smart phone application called “Words with Friends,” Goard said.

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12 Comments

  1. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

    More emphasis needs to be placed on “in-service reminders” about the illegality and inappropriateness of non-professional involvement with students.

    Mike

  3. I would suggest that training programs be made available for parents and students.

    Students need to understand the grooming process and where to report incidents of sexual abuse by school employees. Parents need to understand what to look for and how to check out if their children are being abused.

    In my opinion, a report to the police department is basic. As well as to the school principal and superintendent of schools.

  4. What’s up with Livermore? Wasn’t there another Livermore female teacher arrested and fired for molesting an under aged male student. As well as a youth soccer coach molesting girls. Bad stuff.

  5. What kind of training to you give an adult to make sure he or she knows that an intimate sexual relationship with a student is wrong?

    What would you subject that redundancy on the vast majority of adults who work with children and know better?

    You think in service programs would have stopped this person from doing this?

    Tragic and thanks goodness the student went to a trusted adult.

  6. What’s up with Livermore?.. Hmm, what’s up with Livermore? Perhaps kids and parents are reporting and Livermore PD is investigating and prosecuting..

  7. The article doesn’t go into this much detail but it makes it sound like the high school coach went to the police and turned the math teacher in, or at least helped the student report the molestation to the police. If that’s true, then huge congratulations and thanks to you, Coach!! If only the Paternos of the world could follow your example.

  8. It is best to teach kids to have a buddy present when talking to teachers, coaches, clergy, youth ministers, etc. It really surprises me that school districts don’t have a policy in place that they cannot be 1-1 with a kid.

  9. @Parent makes a great point to teach our kids.

    Additionally, classroom and office doors should have glass so that people can see in at all times.

  11. Agree with parent: It is best to teach kids to have a buddy present when talking to teachers, coaches, clergy, youth ministers, etc. It really surprises me that school districts don’t have a policy in place that they cannot be 1-1 with a kid.

    It is best for the adult too (in case of false accusations.) This was basic training when I was a scout leader and teaching religion. We also went over the buddy system with our kids – that was 18 to 6 years ago. I don’t think society has improved. Of course, when my son was in high school “sexual jokes” by the assistant coach was considered “funny” and this parent and son being upset was considered a problem – even went to the head coach and principal at the time.

  12. There is at least one coach at Amador Valley that should be watched. I’ve heard students who know this coach, and also athletes on that coach’s team, make comments about this coach’s mannerisms.

    Kids aren’t blind.

  13. A hacker community called project vigilant was assembled in and before august 2010. They train and hire people in the community to spy on other people. They even train kids to hack computers. That’s why there have been so many of these arrests lately. I suspect that I was accused of something because I’ve been stalked since that time. Nobody is reporting on what is really going on. You notice that many of the teachers who are accused are in certain areas with a certain population who is not in the country legally and wants revenge for their own guilt. I’m not saying that some of these teachers aren’t guilty, but many of these stories aren’t receiving follow up which is extremely suspicious. Anyway, the amount of abuse that I’m receiving just because this social media Internet based vigilante group is hunting me is incredible. I’ve spoken with one of their top honchos because I was looking for an investigator to help me. He’s not licensed to investigate and spy on pele but he told me that this just means that he is not held back by any laws. This is really bad stuff.

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