Former Teacher Pleads Guilty to Molestation

A former fifth-grade teacher who was found in a homeless camp three years after disappearing pleaded guilty Monday to six counts of molesting female students in his classroom.

Don Ray Moore, 57, was charged with lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14; the allegations stemmed from statements made by four former female students. The molestations occurred between 1981 and 1984 in Moore’s classroom at 97th Street Elementary School in Los Angeles and at his Torrance home, Deputy Dist. Atty. Ryan Rainey said.

In his plea, Moore also admitted the special allegation on one of the counts that he committed the acts while he was in a position of trust. Moore had taught at the inner-city school for 16 years. He faces a maximum 16-year prison term when he is sentenced on July 8. A previous plea bargain arrangement that would have sent Moore to jail for a maximum 12 years was rejected by a judge, paving the way for Monday’s plea.