| For Immediate Release September 28, 2005 |
Contact: | Mark Macaulay Media Relations Spokesperson (714) 347-8405 |
FORMER ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER PLEADS GUILTY TO 29 COUNTS OF MOLESTING THREE BOYS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 11 AND 13
Santa Ana— Married former English teacher, Sarah Bench-Salorio, 29, of Orange, pled guilty to the court this afternoon to 29 felony counts of sexually molesting three boys that she met while teaching at two schools in Orange County. She faces a minimum sentence of three years and a maximum sentence of six years in state prison. She will also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life.
The defendant molested John Doe #1 between September and December 2004 while he was a seventh grade student at Santiago Middle School in Orange. The molestation with John Doe #2 occurred over a 16-month period beginning in May of 2003 while he was a fifth grade student at Panorama Elementary School in Santa Ana. John Doe #3 met the defendant through John Doe #2 and was molested by the defendant during the summer months in 2004. The boys were seduced by Bench-Salorio over dinners, through emails and phone calls for months, before the defendant would start molesting them.
“It is clear by the serious nature of the crimes that Mrs. Bench-Salorio was a sexual predator,” said Deputy District Attorney John Christl. “She betrayed the trust of not only the victims, but the victim’s families and the community as a whole. This conviction assures that she will never have the opportunity to teach or prey upon our children again.”
“The seriousness of these crimes is not lessened by the fact that the perpetrator is a woman and the victims are boys,” said District Attorney Tony Rackauckas. “The defendant is a sex offender who was entrusted with teaching these boys how to read and write. Instead, these victims had to learn lessons they should not know about at such a young age.”
The defendant pled guilty to all counts in front of the Honorable Judge Richard Toohey.
Formal sentencing is set for November 18, 2005, at 9 a.m. in Department C36, Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive W., Santa Ana, CA 92701.
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