Ex-Vice Principal Hit With More Charges

Prosecutors filed two additional charges Monday alleging that a former high school vice principal already facing accusations that he impregnated a 17-year-old student also committed lewd acts against a 14-year-old girl, authorities said.

Miguel Vivanco, the former vice principal at Rancho Alamitos High School in Garden Grove, declined to comment Monday on the new charges, which stemmed from two incidents that allegedly occurred on school property and during school hours, according to authorities. Vivanco resigned March 13.

Prosecutor Rebecca Heinlein said Vivanco had touched the girl “with an unlawful sexual intent” in December 1997 and again in March.

Heinlein declined to talk about the specifics of the alleged crimes or whether the girl was a student at the school.

Vivanco pleaded not guilty to the new charges Monday and was released on his own recognizance.

Earlier this summer, Vivanco surrendered to authorities after allegations surfaced that he had sex on at least two occasions with a former student, now 19. The girl subsequently gave birth and allegedly became pregnant a second time by him, police said.

It was after these allegations became public that authorities learned about the second victim, and others have come forward to say that Vivanco made sexual advances toward them too.

The 14-year-old victim “came to us sometime shortly after the news broke,” said Garden Grove Police Lt. John Woods. “Several others also reported having [unlawful] sex with him, but the cases were beyond the statute of limitations.”

Alan Trudell, spokesman for the Garden Grove Unified School District, said the most recent incident was not reported to school officials.

“This is the first we’ve heard about it,” he said Monday.

Although an investigation is continuing, Heinlein said there are no plans to file additional charges.

Vivanco was hired by the school district in 1984. He was named vice principal at Ranchos Alamitos in 1994, and his duties included supervision of scheduling, athletics and disciplinary matters, school officials said.

The allegations sent shock waves through the school. Some students credited Vivanco for helping them through rough times, describing him as a caring and good-natured educator.

The former vice principal and his wife have three children, ages 2 to 9.

If convicted, Vivanco faces up to five years in prison.