Ex-admin at Carlsbad military school suspected of molesting students

A former top administrator at the Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad was arrested Thursday on suspicion of molesting at least six former students at the school.

Jeffrey Barton, 56, was arrested in Oceanside and booked into San Diego County jail in Vista on possible charges of oral copulation and forcible sodomy on minors.

Bail was set at $6 million. Arraignment is set for Tuesday.

Barton was employed at the school from 1995 until June 2013, when he resigned without explanation. He was the head of schools at the academy, a private military boarding school.

Carlsbad Police Chief Gary Morrison said the investigation began in June when one of the victims, now an adult, came to the Police Department. Police are trying to identify any witnesses or other victims, Morrison said.

“We are using every available resource in our investigation,” he said.

Barton was assigned to mentor the students, police said. The academy is working with the police to identify other possible victims.

Founded in 1910, the academy enrolls about 300 boys in grades 7 through 12, offering a college prep curriculum and “small class size, personal attention and discipline.”

Because of its Junior ROTC program, it is allowed to nominate three boys a year to each of the service academies. Most students board at the school; others are day students. Some are international students.

Barton has a bachelor’s degree from North Dakota State University and was an English teacher for 25 years, including 13 at the academy. Along with other posts, he was director of summer programs at the academy.

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tony.perry@latimes.com