| For Immediate Release Case # 09HM07639
October 29, 2009 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Public Affairs Counsel Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER TO BE ARRAIGNED FOR EXPOSING PENIS TO TWO WOMEN IN ORTHODONTIC OFFICE AND AT SCHOOL DISTRICT EVENT
*Second victim came forward after seeing media coverage of Petrash’s arrest involving first victim
NEWPORT BEACH – A junior high school music teacher will be arraigned today for exposing his penis to two women, an orthodontist’s receptionist during his son’s dental appointment and a fellow teacher at a school district event. Mark Gerard Petrash, 42, Lake Forest, is charged with two misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure and one misdemeanor count of false imprisonment. He faces a maximum sentence of two years in jail in convicted. The People will be requesting the defendant be taken into custody on $50,000 bail at his arraignment this morning, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009, at 8:30 a.m. in Department H-8, Harbor Justice Center, Newport Beach.
On Aug. 24, 2009, Petrash is accused of taking his son to an orthodontist appointment. His son went in to see the orthodontist and Petrash waited in the empty reception room. While alone in the waiting room, the defendant is accused of standing up, pulling up his shorts, and exposing his penis to orthodontic receptionist Jane Doe #1 while holding it out the leg of his shorts.
Jane Doe #1 reported the incident to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD). Following an investigation, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office charged Petrash with one misdemeanor count of indecent exposure. He was arrested by OCSD deputies on Oct. 1, 2009, at Serrano Intermediate School in Lake Forest. The defendant posted $10,000 bail, the standard bail for the charged crime, on Oct. 5, 2009. He was ordered to appear in court for an arraignment on Oct. 29, 2009.
After viewing the media coverage of the arrest of Petrash, Jane Doe #2, a teacher in the same school district as the defendant, came forward to police. On the night of May 8, 2009, Petrash is accused of attending a Saddleback Valley Unified School District event. He is accused of following Jane Doe #2 into a hotel restroom and entering her restroom stall. Petrash is accused of standing between the victim and the door and exposing and rubbing his penis. He is accused of putting his finger over his mouth, indicating that Jane Doe #2 should be quiet. The victim was able to escape from the restroom stall.
In addition to working at Serrano Intermediate School, Petrash has also worked at Mission Viejo High School. Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Carl Waddell at (714) 834-7538.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Beth Carmichael is prosecuting this case.
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