Teacher Charged in Molestation of Boys
An East Los Angeles elementary school teacher, acquitted in 1985 on child annoyance charges, was charged Thursday with molesting five boys in his remedial reading classes, prosecutors said.
Allen Gross, 43, of Pomona, taught at Malabar Elementary School in East Los Angeles. He is to be arraigned on Tuesday on one felony count of a lewd act and four misdemeanor counts of child molestation, said Los Angeles Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael Fishman.
Gross was released after posting $5,000 bail.
The incidents allegedly occurred between Sept. 1, 1988, and Feb. 22, 1989, Fishman said. The alleged victims ranged in age from 9 to 10.
Since the allegations against Gross surfaced, he has been transferred to a job outside the classroom, said Richard J. Schwab, Gross’s attorney. Schwab also represented Gross in his 1985 acquittal by a Municipal Court jury on similar charges at Hamel Street School, also in East Los Angeles.
A spokeswoman for the school district said it is the district’s policy to destroy records of such accusations if a suspect is acquitted.
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