Ventura School Trustee Accused of Molestation

A 74-year-old member of the Ventura County Board of Education is facing child molestation charges stemming from incidents that allegedly occurred more than three decades ago.

Albert Leonard Rosen of Simi Valley is scheduled to be arraigned next week on four counts of lewd conduct with a child. He was arrested May 15 after a months-long investigation spawned by a police report prompted last year by a complaint from one of the alleged victims, now a 42-year-old man.

The identities of the man and the other alleged victim, a 41-year-old woman, are being withheld by The Times.

The man and woman each told Simi Valley police that Rosen molested them on several occasions between 1966 and 1970, according to an April 24 arrest warrant.

Rosen, who did not return calls for comment Monday, posted $50,000 bail last week and is set to enter a plea in court on May 30. His attorney, Deputy Public Defender Todd Howeth, also could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, the county school board, on which Rosen has served for 11 years, voted Monday night to refer the matter to its attorney, who will investigate whether the charges affect his ability to sit on the board.

Board President Ron Matthews said earlier in the day that the panel cannot force Rosen to step down at this time.

Under state law, elected officials cannot be removed from office without a recall unless convicted of a felony or of a crime connected with the duties of their office.

Matthews declined to comment further, citing “the embarrassing nature of the issue.”

According to court documents, the man Rosen is accused of molesting has remembered the assaults for years, but assumed nothing could be done because they occurred so long ago. An October 1981 letter written by Los Angeles psychotherapist Susan Forward said the male victim had suffered “serious psychological damage” as a result of the childhood assaults.

He filed a complaint to police in April 2000 accusing Rosen after learning of a state law abolishing the statute of limitations on serious sexual crimes committed against children younger than 18, said Ventura County Deputy Dist. Atty. Anthony Wold.

In order to qualify under the 1994 law, the abuse must be considered “substantial sexual conduct” and must include clear, independent corroboration, Wold said. He said the case is still under investigation, with the possibility that more alleged victims could be identified.

“It is a cause for some special concern because the individual the allegations are being made against is involved in education,” Wold said.