Former teacher pleads no contest

Jackson Bell

A former Crescenta Valley High School teacher pleaded no contest

Friday to secretly filming female students and planning to distribute

it as pornography.

Rogelio Gallardo, 34, faces a maximum of 23 years in prison.

Gallardo was arrested May 20 for surreptitiously recording 25

girls in a faculty restroom as they were changing into smocks for his

ceramics class. Investigators have not confirmed whether he posted

their pictures on the Internet.

Gallardo pleaded to 15 felony counts of intent to distribute

pornography and 20 misdemeanor counts of peeping, recording,

eavesdropping and destroying evidence, prosecutors said.

His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 16 in Pasadena

Superior Court, after the state Department of Corrections evaluates

Gallardo and recommends a sentence. Superior Court Judge Teri

Schwartz will also consider victims’ letters detailing their trauma,

as well as testaments of his character submitted by the defense when

weighing his punishment.

Schwartz ordered Gallardo to pay a $200 court restitution, as well

as any money incurred by victims for such expenses as counseling. He

will also have to register with law enforcement agencies as a sex

offender for the rest of his life.

Prosecutors believe the case against Gallardo was strong enough to

get him convicted if it had gone to trial.

“There was physical evidence he couldn’t deny, and he made

admissions,” Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Cathryn Brougham

said, not specifying what the admissions were. “Now, we are trying to

get a sentence that we feel is just.”

Gallardo’s attorney, Winston McKesson, said he will petition to

reschedule the sentencing hearing to an earlier date.

“He wants to put all this behind him and accept the responsibility

for anything he has done that may not be right,” McKesson said. “He

wants to be a productive citizen and good family man again.”

After the proceedings, Gallardo stepped outside the courtroom and

embraced his weeping wife and tearful family members before being

taken to state prison. Many of his victims and their family members

who attended the hearing were also crying.

“I’d like to see him get the maximum sentence that the judge can

give him, and to not be able to teach anymore,” said Robin Holland, a

victim’s mother. “As for closure, we’ll see how the sentencing goes.”

* JACKSON BELL covers public safety and courts. He may be reached

at (818) 637-3232 or at jackson.bell@latimes.com.