By Roberto Bustamante
08 Nov 2024, 10:55 AM EST
A Los Angeles special education teacher is accused of having sex with a 13-year-old student in her car and providing marijuana to minors, and police believe there may be other victims.
Colleen Jo Matarico43, of Valley Village, was arrested Thursday on charges of child abuse and providing marijuana to a minor, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The teacher “groomed and sexually assaulted a 13-year-old victim in her classroom, and then convinced the victim to have sex in his vehicle“police said in a statement.
“Detectives believe there are additional unidentified victims from Matarico who have not yet come forward,” the LAPD said in a call for “additional victims of sexual assault.”
The department only listed Matarico as “a teacher,” but did not reveal where she taught. However, she is listed as a teacher at John Burroughs High School in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles, according to the school’s website.
According to The New York Post, Her LinkedIn profile indicates that she is a special education teacher. in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Matarico is charged with five counts of lewd acts with a minor, two counts of lewd acts with a minor 14 or 15 years old, and one count of providing marijuana to a minor. At the moment She is being held on bail of $1.3 million..
Anyone with additional information is urged to contact the Los Angeles Police Department Juvenile Division Abused Children Section at 424-259-7097 and speak with detectives.
Those who wish to remain anonymous can call the Los Angeles Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-222-8477 or submit tips online at http://www.lacrimestoppers.org.
Keep reading:
– Ohio social worker admitted to sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy in her care.
– Arkansas teacher who had sex with a high school student 20 to 30 times is given 13 years in prison.