Police investigated Santa Monica middle school teacher in 2006
Thomas Arthur Beltran was under suspicion for alleged molestation but there wasn't enough evidence to file charges, officials say. He is now charged in the alleged abuse of five female students.
A Santa Monica middle school teacher who allegedly sexually molested five of his female students was investigated by police, but not charged, for the same crime in 2006, officials said today.
"There was a lack of evidence at the time to file charges," said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office. "But based on new allegations, new victims and more evidence, sufficient evidence was developed to include the previous alleged victim" in this case.
Santa Monica police also said today that at least one of the alleged molestations had been caught on videotape. Police would not discuss any previous investigations.
Thomas Arthur Beltran, 60, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 14 felony counts, including eight counts of a lewd act on a child, three counts of continuous sexual abuse and three counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object on a child under 14, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.
Police said today that Beltran could face more charges.
"At this point the investigators are interviewing additional people that have made themselves known either to us" or to the district attorney's office, said Lt. Darrell Lowe of the Santa Monica Police Department.
Beltran, who is married and has worked at Lincoln Middle School for two decades, taught English as a second language to seventh-graders. He was arrested Saturday and jailed on $1.1-million bail. Lowe said he has no previous criminal history.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Robin Sax Katzenstein said in court Tuesday that she had videotape of Beltran molesting at least one student in his class, said Shiara M. Davila, spokeswoman for the district attorney's office. A police investigation that began Friday led to the discovery of the videotape, Lowe said. He would not elaborate on its source, but said that it was not from a school surveillance camera or made by law enforcement officials.
At the prosecutor's request, Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz raised Beltran's bail to $3.3 million, Davila said. Beltran is scheduled to be back in court June 6.
The 30-year school district employee was arrested after a 12-year-old student reported the alleged abuse to her parents, police said. She later repeated her account to detectives.
Investigators interviewed Beltran's other students and identified three who were allegedly victimized, police said. The molestations occurred during school hours and the suspected abuse of one student continued for more than a year, authorities said.
