Substitute arrested on new charges

Deepa Bharath

A 35-year-old substitute teacher who once worked at Corona del Mar

High and TeWinkle Middle School was arrested for the second time

Monday after he walked into a courtroom to respond to additional

charges of indulging in sexual acts with several female students.

Todd Jerome Haluch of Huntington Beach had posted a $250,000 bail

after he was arrested on Sept. 13 on 13 counts of felony sexual

assault. A second warrant issued on Thursday reflected four felony

counts of sexual acts with a female juvenile and one count of witness

intimidation, officials said.

Police have been looking for Haluch, who taught at Corona del Mar

High School and TeWinkle Middle School between 1999 and 2000, since

Friday. Superior Court Judge Craig Robison ordered Haluch not to

contact any of the girls he is accused of abusing. Bail for the

additional charges is set at $250,000.

Haluch, who came to the court clean-shaven and dressed in a

long-sleeve white shirt and dark pants, had no expression on his face

and was quiet as Orange County Sheriff’s deputies led him out of the

courtroom.

He could face life in prison if convicted of all the charges,

which range from lewd conduct to sexual intercourse with female

students, some younger than 16 and others younger than 14, Deputy

Dist. Atty. Beth Costello said.

“There are many more victims out there,” she said. “We want them

to come forward so they can get the help and counseling they need.”

The reported incidents happened over a four-year period, between

1997 and 2001, Costello said.

So far five victims have come forward, she said.

“The defendant was in a position of trust,” she said. “And, with

the difference in age -- the defendant is 35, and the girls are

approximately early teens to mid-teens -- that’s someone who is going

to have a lot of mental control, a lot of power over these girls.

That’s why the prosecution feels that this is a particularly

egregious case.”

Costello said police are still investigating whether some of the

incidents took place on any of the campuses where Haluch taught.

Haluch’s attorney Rudolph Lowenstein said he is disappointed that

the judge set a fresh bail amount.

“If these additional charges had been filed earlier, the bail

would have still remained $250,000,” he said. Lowenstein said his

client should have been released on the $250,000 he paid for the

first warrant.

Calling it a “serious case,” Lowenstein said his client will plead

“not guilty” to the charges. He declined to go into the specifics of

the case.

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@latimes.com.