Woman, 35, Suspected of Molesting Boy, 13

A 35-year-old Santa Ana homemaker has been arrested on suspicion of felony child molestation for allegedly having sex with a 13-year-old boy whom she met at Willard Intermediate School, police said Monday.

Heather Jean Graham, a mother of three, is suspected of having had sexual relations with the eighth-grader at “various locations” around the county, Santa Ana Police Sgt. Steve Despenas said. They met last spring while Graham was a parent volunteer for the school cheerleading squad, he said.

Graham was arrested Friday evening and booked into Santa Ana jail, with bail set at $50,000. She was released after posting bail Sunday and is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment Dec. 7. However, no charges have been filed against her.

The allegations involving Graham are still under investigation, police said.

“Right now, we don’t know how many counts we will be filing,” Despenas said. “We know it happened more than once; we just haven’t pinpointed the exact number.”

According to police, Graham and the boy were seen together on numerous outings over the summer. Police said they were informed Friday that they should look into the situation and that day interviewed both the woman and the student.

Graham was booked at the Santa Ana jail after those interviews. Police would give no details about what they were told or by whom.

News of the arrest shocked parents and school officials Monday.

“We feel this is a very unfortunate situation,” said parent Cathleen McMurran, president of the Willard Parent-Teacher-Student Assn. “We’re going to circle around the kids and support them.”

Graham, a past PTSA president at Willard, was an active parent volunteer who helped out during band, fund-raisers and other school events.

School administrators said Monday that Graham has been removed from all activities. Letters were sent to all members of the cheerleading team to explain the arrest, said John Bennett, deputy superintendent of the Santa Ana Unified School District.

Meanwhile, the boy is being transferred to another campus, Bennett added.

Today, four additional school counselors will be assigned to Willard to help students cope with the allegations.

“We are absolutely surprised and devastated by the allegations,” Bennett said. “We are doing everything possible to support our students, parents and community.”

The arrest echoed a similar case in which a 36-year-old elementary school teacher in Tacoma, Wash., was found guilty of having sex with a sixth-grader, later giving birth to a daughter.

The teacher, Mary Kay LeTourneau, is the daughter of former Orange County state Sen. John Schmitz and is in prison. She has since given birth to a second child by the boy, who is now 15.

Also, the wife of Pasadena Mayor Chris Holden is charged with six felony counts of unlawful sex with two teen minors. Michelle E. Holden, a 35-year-old mother of four, was indicted by the grand jury in July. The case is not school-related.

Police sources said it is extremely unusual for female adults to be charged with having sex with minors, particularly boys as young as 13.

“I’m not aware of any similar cases,” said Don Blankenship, leader of the Santa Ana Police Officers Assn.