Dana Hills High School Teacher Suspected Of Child Molestation May Have More Victims

DANA POINT (CBSLA.com) — A Dana Hills High School teacher and youth baseball coach will face a judge Wednesday on charges of child molestation and possession of child pornography.

Ezequiel Barragan, 48, of Aliso Viejo, was arrested Monday and charged with four felony counts of performing lewd acts on a child under 14, three felony counts of lewd acts on a child between 14 and 15 and one felony count of possession of child pornography, with a sentencing enhancement for substantial sexual conduct with a child, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office. The Dana Hills High School Spanish teacher is being held on $500,000 bail.

If convicted, Barragan faces a maximum sentence of 16 years and eight months in state prison, prosecutors said.

His arrest follows a child pornography investigation by the United States Postal Service, which discovered he had also engaged in sexual relations with a male juvenile over the past two years, Orange County sheriff's officials said.

Barragan is accused of sexually assaulting the victim, who was between the ages of 13 and 15, on multiple occasions between Aug. 14, 2012 and Feb. 7, 2015. He is also accused of possessing child pornography -- including images of boys between the ages of 12 and 16 posing with their genitals showing -- between April 9, 2015 and May 4, 2015.

Authorities believe Barragan may have more victims. For the past 20 years, Barragan has been involved in coaching youth baseball at various Little and Senior Leagues as well as at the junior/high school level and has for the past several years volunteered with Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for Children in Orange County.

Barragan allegedly met the victim, who was not a student at Dana Hills High School, through his involvement with CASA.

Anyone with information about Barragan or other possible victims can call the Orange County Sheriff's Department at (714) 647-7418 or (714) 647-7000 or the Orange County District Attorney Supervising Investigator Kelly Core at (714) 347-8794.