OXNARD : Official Held on Molestation Charge

An assistant principal at Channel Islands High School was arrested by Oxnard police Monday on suspicion of molesting a young girl in the San Diego area, police said.

Julius Raynard Steele, 40, was taken into custody by two detectives at the high school around 11 a.m. Monday. He was later booked at Ventura County Jail and was being held in lieu of $250,000 bail.

Steele was arrested on a warrant issued in San Diego County charging him with three counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 and two counts of using force while committing those acts, according to Sgt. Ron Tusi, the Ventura County Jail watch commander.

Steele will be taken to San Diego after making a court appearance in Ventura County Municipal Court, Tusi said.

Oxnard Union High School District Supt. Bill Studt said Steele was new to the district and had only been an employee since Aug. 25. Before that, Steele worked for the San Diego City Unified School District, he said.

Studt said he could not otherwise comment on the arrest because it involved a confidential personnel matter.

When hiring educational staff, the district relies on references from previous employers and does not check police records, Studt said. California teaching credentials are automatically revoked when someone is convicted of a felony, he added.

Oxnard Detective Doug Wiley said the arrest was made after a San Diego Police detective faxed a copy of the warrant to Oxnard. Wiley said he did not know the details of the case and San Diego officials could not be reached for comment late Monday.