Teacher convicted of molestation
Bryce Alderton
A sentencing date will be set Friday for the former Huntington Beach
elementary school teacher Jason Abhyankar, 28, who a jury convicted last
week of molesting three of his students during the school day.
Abhyankar was already in custody while the jury decided his fate on
Feb. 27.
Although it was an unusual move on the part of Superior Court Judge
Carla Singer, she ordered him taken into custody before the jury began
deliberating, saying he was a flight risk.
“It’s standard to be taken into custody after the verdict, but
[Singer] made a comment that the evidence was overwhelming,” said Dist.
Atty. Matt Murphy.
The men and women of the jury deliberated for one day before
convicting Abhyankar on nine of 10 felony counts of child molestation
stemming from his time teaching at Village View Elementary School in
Huntington Beach and at Portola Hills Elementary School in Trabuco
Canyon.
Abhyankar taught at Village View from September 1997 to June 1999 when
he resigned without giving a reason.
He then secured a position at Portola Hills Elementary School in
Trabuco Canyon in the fall of 1999, thanks to a glowing letter of
recommendation from the Village View principal despite suspicions of
wrongdoing at the Huntington Beach school.
Police began investigating Abhyankar when a student at Portola came
forward with allegations against the teacher and found a total of four
boys, two at Village View and two at Portola, who claimed Abhyankar had
molested them.
All of the boys were between the ages of 9 and 11 and the acts
occurred between September 1998 and January 2000, Murphy said.
Abhyankar, who testified during the trial, denied the charges.
“The victims have waited a long time for justice and I’m grateful to
the jury that they did the right thing,” Murphy said.
Although the evidence was said to be very compelling, defense attorney
Kenneth Schreiber contends the district attorney did not present
convincing evidence relating to specific charges within the 16 months the
acts were said to have occurred.
“There were no allegations of committing an act on a particular day,”
Schreiber said. “It’s easy to say things, but it’s difficult to defend
and even harder to prove.”
A sentencing date will be scheduled March 8, Abhyankar’s next court
appearance, Murphy said.
He could face 24 years in state prison, Murphy added.
* BRYCE ALDERTON is the news assistant. He can be reached at (714)
965-7173 or by e-mail at bryce.alderton@latimes.com
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