The Region - News from June 14, 1985

A sixth-grade teacher and former girls’ gymnastics coach has been acquitted by a Riverside Superior Court jury of 11 counts of child molestation. Lance Paddock, 35, was tried a second time after another jury in March failed to reach a verdict involving seven alleged victims at Arizona Intermediate School, Paddock’s attorney, Ron Lorden, said. Paddock was accused of molesting the girls, who attended the school in the Alvord Unified School District in the southern section of Riverside County, Lorden said. Lorden said that although his client is innocent, “he used poor judgment” in the way he handled affection toward his students. “Sixth-grade girls may take a hug or sign of affection the wrong way,” Lorden said. “They get crushes on teachers and fantasize. It’s just not a good idea.”