High School Teacher Pleads Not Guilty to Sex Crimes

by Rebecca O'Connor , March 15, 2013

CALEXICO – Following his arrest on Friday March 8, a Calexico teacher entered a plea of not guilty to charges he sexually molested students.

Tommy Obeso

Aurora High School teacher Tommy Obeso, 59 was arrested following a sting operation conducted by the Calexico Police Department and Homeland Security Investigation’s Cyber Crime Unit. Following numerous reports of sexual abuse and inappropriate conduct, officers posing as a fictitious teenage girl on Facebook contacted Obeso through the site. Calexico Police Detective Manuel Ceja stated that once contacted, Obeso made very descriptive sexual advances toward the invented girl and adamantly requested a meeting with the girl for the purposes of sexual intercourse.

Uniformed Calexico officers from the Border Crime Unit and HCI criminal investigators met Obeso at a Forever 21 store in Calexico at around 1 p.m. on Friday. Obeso arrived expecting to meet the girl he had been exchanging messages with on Facebook and was arrested for soliciting a minor for sexual acts. Officers then executed a warrant and gathered computer evidence from his apartment.

Obeso was a teacher at Calexico's Aurora High when he was suspected of inappropriate sexual activity

Obeso taught American government, psychology, and sociology at Aurora High School, where he had been teaching for the last year. Prior to this he had taught world history at Calexico High School for several years. After interviewing current and former female students and encouraging other victims to come forward, police confirmed suspected victims, all of whom were between 16- and 17-years-old. Ceja stated that Obeso allegedly inappropriately touched, kissed and made sexual advances toward numerous female students.

Obeso was arrested after a meeting was set up at Forever 21, confirming his intentions with the supposed minor girl

The arraignment hearing in Imperial County Jail Court occurred on Tuesday where Obeso faced three counts including arranging and going to meet a minor for sex, sexual battery and sending illicit material to a minor. Obeso pled not guilty to all charges. His bail is set at $250,000 and pretrial and bail review is set for Monday in Imperial County Jail Court.

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Imperial Valley Press: Calexico teacher accused of sex crimes pleads not guilty

High School Teacher Pleads Not Guilty to Sex Crimes was last modified: January 14th, 2019 by admin