Teacher Accused of Sex With Teen Is Out on Bail

A Los Alamitos High School science teacher and girls basketball coach was free on bail Wednesday after his arrest a day earlier on suspicion of engaging in a sex act with a 16-year-old girl.

The school district has placed the teacher, 33-year-old Kevin W. Davis, on unpaid leave pending resolution of his case. Police said a school employee came forward Tuesday morning claiming to have witnessed Davis and the student engaged in apparently consensual oral sex Monday afternoon in a classroom.

Davis, a Long Beach resident, could not be reached for comment. Police said he did not admit any wrongdoing. A woman who answered the door at Davis’ house Wednesday would not comment on the matter. The identity of the girl, a Los Alamitos resident, was not released because of her age.

After interviewing Davis, the girl and the witness, police said the incident appeared to have been an isolated one. “At this point, we have no indication that anyone else was involved or that this has been going on for any length of time,” said Police Capt. Todd Mattern. He declined to say whether the teen is enrolled in any of Davis’ classes or whether she is a member of the basketball team.

On Wednesday, the news was the talk of the school, a 2,700-student campus that usually makes headlines for its strong student achievement.

School officials made counselors available Wednesday for any distressed students, said Assistant Supt. David Hatton. Inside classrooms, some teachers explained what they could about the alleged incident and reminded students that an arrest is not a conviction, one student said.

During lunch and passing periods, several students said, the teen gossip mill kicked into overdrive.

All the while, parents and students tried to reconcile their impressions of a demanding but kind teacher with the man now accused of criminal wrongdoing.

Employed at Los Alamitos since September 1998, Davis was seen by many as a good teacher who set high academic standards. But despite his good qualities, some parents said, they are outraged by his alleged misdoing.

Parent Julie Rivett said she even got a call Wednesday from her mother, who said she was glad that her granddaughter, Los Alamitos senior Alyssa Rivett, no longer plays basketball.

If Davis is found guilty, “this is stupid for the teacher, stupid for the girl,” Julie Rivett said. “There’s a moral outrage and a practical outrage. Obviously, a 33-year-old man is taking advantage of a 16-year-old girl. There’s no other way. He knows better.”

Another parent, who asked not to be named, described Davis as “a good young coach, aggressive in a good sort of way. It’s a shame.”

Davis came to school Tuesday expecting to teach, school officials said. However, police asked to talk with him about the accusation, and the teacher willingly went to headquarters to speak with investigators. By 2:30 p.m., Davis was arrested on suspicion of oral copulation with a minor, which is a felony. He is scheduled for arraignment on May 3.

The employee who said he witnessed the incident did not intervene, police said. Instead, he immediately reported his observations to a superior at the school. The employee “did exactly what he was supposed to do,” Mattern said.

Los Alamitos High has suffered two other scandals in the last few years. A former boys basketball coach was suspected for a time last year of misusing team funds, but he was not charged because of a lack of evidence.

In 1996, the school board expelled a 17-year-old student accused of secretly taping a 14-year-old girl and himself having sex and showing the tape at school.

Hatton chalked up the trio of events to coincidence. He said nothing suggests that the Los Alamitos Unified School District could have prevented the latest incident, but he said administrators are always looking for ways to improve student safety.

“Our high school holds a place of prominence in our community and, I believe, Orange County,” Hatton said. “I think we’re very visible. . . . In my view, this type of thing is a very, very unfortunate incident, and it could happen anywhere.”