Teacher Is Accused of Selling Sex

An Anaheim fourth-grade teacher was suspended Thursday after his arrest on suspicion of prostitution, authorities said.

Dennis William Gosnell, 32, of Tustin was arrested about 6 p.m. Wednesday during a sting operation at an Anaheim motel and released several hours later on $1,000 bail, said Anaheim Police Department spokesman Rick Martinez.

The teacher is accused of offering to perform a sexual act for money with a male undercover officer, Martinez said.

Gosnell was placed on paid administrative leave from Patrick Henry Elementary pending an investigation by attorneys for the school district, said Anaheim City School District spokeswoman Suzi Brown.

After the district was notified of Gosnell’s arrest, Supt. Sandra Barry and the director of human resources removed Gosnell from his classroom while his students were eating lunch, Brown said. A substitute taught the remainder of the day.

School board members have been notified of Gosnell’s arrest, she said.

“It would be premature to comment further until we’ve investigated it more completely,” Brown said.

Gosnell could not be reached for comment.

Police started investigating Gosnell after receiving information that he was advertising his services on several gay escort-service Web sites, Martinez said.

District officials are investigating whether Gosnell used school computers to arrange encounters with clients, Brown said.

State education officials said a prostitution-related conviction could end Gosnell’s teaching career.

“If a court finds someone guilty, it isn’t up to the district to say it’s not that serious and then hire him back,” said Michael Hersher, deputy general counsel for the California Department of Education.

Certain crimes of “moral turpitude,” including public lewdness, selling drugs and some kinds of prostitution, carry a mandatory revoking of one’s teaching credential, said Mary Armstrong, general counsel for the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.