EL CAJON, Calif. (CNS) - A former Granite Hills High School teacher who was arrested on allegations of sexual misconduct involving an underage former female student was convicted of felony and misdemeanor charges.
Gerald Lopez, 56, who taught English and coached sports at the East County school, was arrested in 2022 by El Cajon police after the then 17-year-old victim's mother discovered a series of text messages between her daughter and Lopez.
Lopez was convicted by an El Cajon jury last week of a felony count of possessing child pornography and a misdemeanor count of annoying or molesting a child.
The same jury acquitted Lopez of more than a dozen other charges and hung on five counts of sending harmful material to a minor. On Tuesday, Superior Court Judge John Thompson dismissed those remaining five counts.
Lopez, who remains out of custody on $70,000 bail, faces up to three years in state prison when he is sentenced, currently scheduled for next month.
Deputy District Attorney Josh Brisbane told jurors that Lopez exchanged sexually motivated text messages and pictures with the girl over the course of several months, while Lopez's defense attorney, Robert Boyce, argued his client had no intention of pursuing anything with the girl until after she turned 18.
After the girl's mother discovered the texts, she reported it to the school. Lopez was initially placed on unpaid leave, but school district officials announced in August 2022 that he was no longer working for the district.
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