San Diego
A 55-year-old teacher pleaded innocent Friday to 30 counts of rape, oral copulation and rape with a foreign object of a mentally incompetent person.
Christian Tuffli, former teacher at the Mission Beach Training Center--a school for the developmentally disabled operated by the San Diego Unified School District--was accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old student with Down’s syndrome.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Cyndi Jo Mitton said Tuffli faces a consecutive sentence of 126 years if convicted of all charges.
San Diego Municipal Judge Lillian Quon set bail at $50,000, rejecting the $5,000 amount suggested by Tuffli’s attorney, Robert Boyce. A bail review was set for Wednesday and a preliminary hearing for June 15.
Mitton said in court that the sex acts occurred during school recesses beginning Jan. 3 and ending May 22. Tuffli was arrested Wednesday.
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