Riverside, California - Former La Sierra Academy Counselor Matthew Johnson Accused of Recording Students in Restroom

La Sierra Academy Counselor Fired After Arrest for Possession of Child Sex Crime Images

Last Update: 7/13/2020

See below: School sexual abuse lawyer Bobby Thompson discusses the legal options for school sex abuse victims, including lawsuits against schools.

A former school counselor at La Sierra Academy in Riverside has been arrested for allegedly possessing hundreds of images of sex crimes against children and is accused of secretly recording students in a campus bathroom.

30-year-old Matthew Daniel Johnson was arrested on Wednesday, March 5 on suspicion of receiving and distributing child pornography. He is still being held at the San Bernardino County Central Detention Center on a $1 million bail.

Fontana police started investigating Johnson for allegedly downloading and sharing child pornography through the internet. Investigators searched his digital devices and determined that he had used a hidden camera to secretly record La Sierra Academy students in a restroom at the school.

Police then served a search warrant at the school and seized additional evidence that reportedly corroborated the allegations against him. The authorities believe the students were not aware that they were being secretly recorded.

Johnson was fired after school officials were notified of what detectives had discovered.

This investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with related information has been asked to contact detectives at 951-353-7120.

Can I Sue For Being Sexually Abused at School?

Bobby Thompson is an attorney for victims of sexual abuse in schools and other locations in California. We’ve asked Bobby to share some of his knowledge regarding the legal rights of school sex abuse victims and their parents:

“Parents send their children to school with the assumption that they are taken care of and monitored at all times for their safety. When a school official sexually abuses a student, the trust in the school system diminishes, and you begin to wonder who is more responsible: the abuser, or the school. When such a horrific incident happens, both the employee and the school should be investigated. If the school is found negligent to any degree, they may face liability in a sexual abuse lawsuit from the victims,” explained Mr. Thompson.

Sources

https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/03/05/riverside-school-counselor-child-pornography/