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