Charter School Teacher Accused Of Sexual Molestation

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A South Los Angeles charter school teacher faced sexual molestation charges Monday after his arrest last week, authorities said.

Detectives from the Sheriff's Department Special Victims Bureau arrested Juan Cardoza at his residence on April 24 for allegedly sexually molesting three girls between the ages of 14 and 15 years old.

Cardoza worked at the New Designs Charter School in Willowbrook, an unincorporated area of South Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The incidents occurred at the school between October 2012 to March 2013, and were recently reported to school officials who in turn reported the incidents to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, authorities said.

The case was presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office who reviewed the case and filed 4 felony counts of Lewd Acts with a Child and 1 felony count of Annoy and Molest a Child. The suspect has a $320,000 bail.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Special Victims Bureau at (877)710-LASD(5273) or via the Department's website at LASD.org.

If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call "Crime Stoppers" by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), or texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or by using the website LACrimeStoppers.org.