FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – A teacher at Tenaya Middle School has been arrested – accused of sex crimes with a 14-year-old student.
The Fresno Police Department says 30-year-old Justine Nelson is facing three felony counts of oral copulation with a minor under 16 years of age, and two felony counts of possession of child pornography.
The crimes allegedly took place on the Tenaya Middle School campus last spring while the teacher and student were alone in her classroom.
“Students at another school in Fresno that were aware of nude photos of the teacher posted on the victim’s social media sites,” said Fresno Police Lieutenant Joe Gomez at a press conference. “Staff also at the school, and students were aware of that. They brought that to the attention of the police at that school. And that’s how (Fresno Police) got involved in the investigation.”
The victim is not a student at Tenaya anymore.
Nelson is a permanent teacher at Tenaya, not a substitute. Fresno Police says they’re still searching for other potential victims.
Fresno Unified released this statement Thursday afternoon:
“Yesterday afternoon, Fresno Unified was made aware of allegations of an inappropriate relationship between a Tenaya Middle School teacher and a former student. Staff immediately called police to investigate. This morning, that teacher was taken into custody and has been placed on administrative leave while law enforcement continues to investigate the allegations.
Allegations of this nature are extremely disturbing and do not reflect the high professional standards the district expects from staff. In the event these allegations are proven factual, the district will take swift and appropriate action.”
