Pomona : Charges Denied by Teacher

A Pomona elementary school teacher has pleaded not guilty to four counts of molesting girl students in his fourth-grade classroom. Olin M. Ivey, 47, was arraigned Tuesday on the charges in Pomona Superior Court.

In an April preliminary hearing, eight girls, ranging from 7 to 11 years old, testified that Ivey touched them and rubbed their skin during class at Kingsley Elementary School in Pomona. They said the teacher placed his hand under their pants and blouses several times during the 1984-85 school year when they came to his desk for help with homework questions during class. Other students were present in most cases, the girls testified.

Pomona Municipal Court Judge Theodore Piatt dismissed charges involving all but two of the girls for lack of evidence. Four molestation counts remain.

Ivey, 47, surrendered to authorities in February after Pomona police charged him with child molestation. A school nurse reported the matter to police after several of the girls complained, court records show.

School officials have said that Ivey, a Montclair resident, was suspended without pay until the charges can be resolved. He is free on his own recognizance. His trial before Superior Court Judge Loren Miller is scheduled to begin June 25. Ivey’s attorney, Fred de la Pena, said his client was affectionate with girls, but not abnormally so, and that the students’ charges are false.