| For Immediate Release Case # 12HF1756 June 25, 2012 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami
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MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER CHARGED WITH SEXUALLY ASSAULTING 8TH GRADE STUDENT ON CAMPUS
*Defendant is also charged with lewd conduct toward two additional victims
NEWPORT BEACH – A middle school math teacher was charged today with sexually assaulting an 8th grade female student while alone with her on campus. The defendant was previously charged with lewd conduct against two other students. Richard John Rack, 50, San Clemente, is charged for the sex crimes against Jane Doe #3 with five felony counts of lewd acts on a child and one felony count of oral copulation of a minor under 16. If convicted of all felony counts, he faces a maximum sentence of six years and four months in state prison. Rack was previously charged June 1, 2012, for Jane Doe #1 and Jane Doe #2 (Case #12HM05906) with two misdemeanor counts of child annoyance. If convicted on these counts, he faces a maximum sentence of two years in jail. Rack is being held on $1 million and is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing July 18, 2012, at 8:30 a.m. in Department H-2, Harbor Justice Center, Newport Beach.
Rack is accused of working as a teacher at Shorecliffs Middle School in San Clemente since 2002. At the time of the crimes, the defendant was a math teacher.
Between April and November 2011, Rack is accused of engaging in inappropriate, unlawfully annoying conduct toward two students at the school, 13-year-olds Jane Doe #1 and Jane Doe #2. The defendant is accused of hugging and making lewd comments to the victims. Jane Doe #1 told the school principal about the conduct, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) investigated the case.
Rack was arrested June 6, 2012, for the child annoyance case. Following Rack’s arrest, OCSD discovered the sexual assault against Jane Doe #3.
Between February 2009 and October 2010, Rack is accused of sexually assaulting 14-year-old Jane Doe #3 including lewd touching and oral copulation. He is accused of primarily sexually assaulting the victim while alone with her on campus.
If convicted, Rack would be required to register as a lifetime sex offender, which 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 13 other cities that have enacted the Child Safety Zone Ordinance including Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Hills, Lake Forest, La Habra, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Westminster, and Yorba Linda.