Santa Ana track coach sent inappropriate text messages to former student, police say

The head coach of a Santa Ana high school was arrested after being accused of sending inappropriate text messages to a former student, and Santa Ana police said they believe he may have targeted other underage victims.

Aaron Raya, 28, is the head track and field coach, a football coach and a substitute teacher at Godinez High School, according to a news release from the Santa Ana Police Department.

On Sunday, a mother alerted authorities that her underage daughter received inappropriate text messages from Raya.

Investigators learned that Raya had contacted the girl during the school year to discuss track and field events, but after graduation he allegedly began to contact her “in a sexual manner and attempted to meet her,” according to the Santa Ana Police Department. Detectives with the Special Crimes unit learned about two additional former students at Godinez High School who also allegedly received sexual text messages from Raya, police said.

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Police arrested Raya at his home, and he was booked into an Orange County jail for what authorities described only as a “sex-related charge.” His bail was set at $100,000.

In a statement, the Santa Ana Unified School District said its staff are cooperating with police.

“We understand that this news may be concerning to our community. We take all allegations of misconduct very seriously, and the safety and well-being of our students is always our top priority,” the statement said. “This individual has been immediately placed on leave and removed from our substitute list.”

The school district thanked the police department and asked that all additional questions about the matter be sent to the Santa Ana Police Department.

Anyone with information about Raya or the investigation can contact investigators at (714) 245-8346 or at mthomas@santa-ana.org. Additional tips can be sent to Orange County Crime Stoppers at (855) TIP-OCCS.