| For Immediate Release Case # 12HF1206
May 4, 2012 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami
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HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER CHARGED FOR TEXTING NUDE PHOTOS OF HIMSELF TO 15-YEAR-OLD FEMALE STUDENT AND ARRANGING TO MEET FOR SEX
*OCDA seeks public’s help identifying potential additional victims
NEWPORT BEACH – A high school teacher was charged today for texting nude pictures of himself to a 15-year-old female student and arranging to meet her for sex. Dominic John Augustus Witter, 25, Laguna Niguel, was charged with one felony count of attempted contact with a child with intent to commit lewd acts with the minor, one felony count of meeting a minor with intent to engage in lewd conduct, and one misdemeanor count of arranging to meet a minor for lewd purposes. If convicted of all charges, Witter faces a maximum sentence of four years and eight months in state prison and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration. Witter is out of custody on $100,000 bail and is scheduled for continued arraignment on May 25, 2012, at 8:30 a.m. in Department H-2, Harbor Justice Center, Newport Beach.
At the time of the crime, Witter is accused of being a teacher at Crean Lutheran High School in Irvine. On April 4, 2012, Witter is accused of texting nude photos of himself to 15-year-old Jane Doe, a student at the school where he taught, and asking the victim to send back nude photos of herself.
On April 5, 2012, the defendant is accused of texting Jane Doe again and arranging to meet her at a restaurant later that evening with the intent to take her to his house to have sex. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD), who investigated this case, arrested the defendant at the restaurant.
Anyone with additional information or who believes they may have been a victim is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Lou Gutierrez at (714) 347-8794.
If convicted, Witter’s lifetime sex offender registration would bar him from entering County recreational areas and City parks which have passed the Sex Offender Ordinance. Visit www.orangecountyda.com to read the prior press releases on the County’s Sex Offender Ordinance as well as the 12 other cities (Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Hills, Lake Forest, La Habra, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Seal Beach, Westminster, and Yorba Linda) that have enacted the Child Safety Zone Ordinance.
Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker of the Sexual Assault Unit is prosecuting this case.
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