Teacher is charged with lewd acts

An early-childhood teacher at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside has been arrested and charged with four counts of lewd and lascivious acts with two girls under age 14.

Daniel Ray Metroka, 51, of Riverside is being held on $1-million bail, the Riverside County district attorney’s office said Thursday. Metroka could face 15 years in prison on four felony counts for acts that occurred June 30, prosecutors said. The alleged victims were identified as Jane Doe No. 1 and No. 2.

The alleged crimes did not occur on campus or involve students at the school, according to a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office. Mal Grossinger, superintendent at the California School for the Deaf, said he was not aware of any complaints filed against Metroka by students at the school.

Riverside Police Lt. Steve Johnson refused to release information about how Metroka knew the alleged victims, where the alleged molestations took place or the girls’ ages.

“This is an open investigation and we are concerned there may be additional victims,” Johnson said. “At this time we are not releasing the details of the incident because it might jeopardize the integrity of future interviews.”

Johnson refused to elaborate on why investigators believe other children may have been molested.

No other children have reported inappropriate contact with Metroka, according to prosecutors and a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol, which has jurisdiction over the California School for the Deaf.

The girls’ parents reported the allegations to the police, said Ingrid Wyatt, spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office.

Grossinger said it was “a complete surprise” when police told him about the arrest Sunday.

“He’s a very soft-spoken man, very caring and always showed sensitivity to the staff,” said Alyce Berard, the school’s director of instruction. “He’s gone beyond the call of duty to perform.”

Metroka has worked at the school more than 10 years, starting as a substitute teacher in 1996, working in elementary school instruction the next four years, and then working in early-childhood education beginning in August 2001. He teaches pupils ages 3 to 5.

Lorna Jenkins, who worked with Metroka at the school in the early-childhood education department until last fall, said she was shocked by the arrest. She noted that Metroka frequently volunteers teaching sign language to parents and families of deaf children to help the families communicate, and is deeply involved with his church.

“He’s fabulous. He and his wife don’t have children so they have dedicated their lives to children,” Jenkins said. “He is loving and caring and he puts children first.... There’s no way this can be true. “

On Monday, Grossinger sent a letter to parents, teachers and staff to inform them of the arrest and accusations against Metroka.

One of the school’s directors also called the parents of each pupil in Metroka’s class to notify them of the allegations.

Grossinger told parents in the letter that Metroka was on leave and would not be permitted on campus pending the outcome of the investigation and criminal proceedings.

The California School for the Deaf in Riverside is run by the state Department of Education and serves about 500 students in Southern California. The students are 18 months to 22 years old.

Metroka appeared handcuffed in an orange, jail-issue shirt and pants in a Riverside courtroom Thursday.

Metroka’s arraignment was delayed until July 19 to allow time for the Riverside County public defender’s office to assign an attorney to the case.

He is at Riverside’s Robert Presley Detention Center.

maeve.reston@latimes.com