A 39-year-old teacher who worked at a private Calabasas school for 10 years was charged with molestation and secretly taking intimate pictures of at least four students, prosecutors announced Friday.
The allegations surfaced after an 11-year-old student reported that the teacher was secretly taking pictures of students, prosecutors said in a statement.
Travis Shojinaga, 39, was arrested by deputies Wednesday at Viewpoint School, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Travis Takeshi Shojinaga, 39, was arrested at the school.
(Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office)
“Mr. Shojinaga was a teacher at Viewpoint School in the city of Calabasas and has had contact with numerous juveniles in the course of that employment,” sheriff officials said in a statement.
He is being held in custody in lieu of $1 million bail.
On Friday, Shojinaga was charged with one felony count of possession of child abuse material and four misdemeanor counts of child molestation. He has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors said they believe there may be additional victims.
Officials at Viewpoint School said they became aware of the allegations on Wednesday, the day Shojinaga was arrested.
“We immediately launched an investigation and notified the Los Angeles Sheriff Department’s Lost Hills station,” the school said in a statement. “We are working closely and cooperating with law enforcement as they investigate and have retained an outside investigator to conduct a thorough third-party investigation, closely coordinated with law enforcement and facilitated by campus safety and security.”
Viewpoint is a K-12 school where annual tuition can run between $45,000 for elementary students, or up to $54,520 for high school students.
Shojinaga faces up to seven years in state prison if convicted, prosecutors said.
